There are several ways in which desire can manifest itself. One of these expressions occurs through liquids moving in our bodies. When we admire a platter of sweets, for example, the mouth may flood as an immediate response by our organism. When we kiss, saliva production also increases, which makes the contact between lips also a moist exchange of emotions. The interaction between bodies can lead to an eruption of sweat, and friction between certain parts of the body can result in the wetting of sexual organs—which, when stimulated to the limit, produce liquids of unusual textures, imbued with mysteries.

One of the etymological interpretations of the word desire is linked to a Latin term meaning “from the stars”. Thus, its origin would be related to a sidereal dimension of longing and hope. In a more poetic sense, it is the anticipation of something that the cosmos can bring us. Desire, as essence, is the cause of passion. Its fatal consequence is love. And all of this happens as a chemical dance, a symphony of substances that flow, helping us understand our place in the universe. These watercourses can lead in different directions, depending on the dynamics of encounters and their ability to affect and be affected. It is through the plurality of affections that love translates into action.

As the second edition of the Contra-Flecha program, the exhibition "Gestures of Love, Seduction Practices" brings various ways to discuss and represent these ideas. In this sense, it brings together several generations and distinct voices, forming a constellation that goes from the biology and chemistry of libido to the magic of the power of attraction, revisiting romantic inspirations, sensations of pleasure, and sexual connections, but also friendships and family ties. In this journey, the exhibition is based on three references: the first is the life and work of Maria Martins (1894-1973), who leaves us a legacy permeated by works that interlace radical relationships of love, surrender, and fantasy, and a personal trajectory marked by complex affective bonds and gender barrier transgressions. The second is Lygia Pape's (1927-2004) "Objects of Seduction" — compositions made with various items that function as a kind of 'bindings.' It is said that they were produced to gift to close individuals. Finally, contributing to the dialogue are the reflections and poetics of the philosopher and writer Renato Noguera, who addresses love and affection from the perspective of multiple cosmologies.

Thus, the exhibition’s gaze is focused on practices that approach or incorporate notions of excitement and intimacy. That is, works that contemplate the nature of human and non-human interactions, that believe in the power of seduction — or repulsion — and that explore the materiality and abstraction of relationships. These creations understand love beyond its literal meaning, as an energy that moves us in many directions.

In the exhibition space, magnetic glances, open mouths and arms, teeth and fingers, dances, and dribbles emerge. Roses and anthuriums, symbols and poses suggesting desires, declaring intentions, or engaging in couplings and caresses. Inner impulses join political notions and create different forms of feeling, desiring, and relating. Here, the flow of affections is never static: it is always possible to change the direction of the currents.