The MIS (Museum of Image and Sound) opens the “Janis” exhibition on April 16, dedicated to the trajectory of Janis Joplin, with a hippie style and whose high, hoarse and explosive voice remains among the most electrifying in the history of rock.
The exhibition brings together more than coming from Los Angeles, in the United States, such as costumes, props, manuscripts, and an extensive photographic survey carried out to map the singer’s life and career.
“We had access to Janis’ family and we are bringing to MIS a large collection of the singer, never seen in Brazil,” said André Sturm, general director of MIS and curator of the exhibition, which highlights images from the 1967 Monterey Pop, the festival at which Joplin was discovered even before Woodstock.
The expography focuses on what is already known at MIS: more than ten rooms with visual and audiovisual elements designed to transport the visitor to the transgressive spirit and counterculture of the 1960s, in addition to highlighting the singer’s influences —from blues to soul, from gospel to rock—, and her personal style that broke stereotypes about .
One of the rooms is dedicated to Janis’s emotional bond with Brazil, with records of her visit to Rio de Janeiro during the 1970 Carnival. In October of that same year she died, aged 27.
Influences
Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Joplin was influenced by blues voices such as Leadbelly, Bessie Smith and Big Mama Thornton. After passing through the folk scenes and Haight-Ashbury, she joined Big Brother and the Holding Company and, with the visibility gained in Monterey, she began to receive attention from the recording industry.
With the band, Janis immortalized songs that became her trademark, such as “Piece of My Heart”, “Cry Baby” and “Down on Me”, performances that showed her ability to transition from visceral scream to more restrained phrasing, and helped establish her image as the leading voice of 60s rock.
The exhibition, held by the Ministry of Culture, Government of the State of São Paulo and MIS, offers the public the opportunity to see up close personal objects and documents that help to understand why Janis Joplin became an icon, musically and in style, and continues to influence generations.
“Janis” exhibition
- Where: MIS (av. Europa, 158, Jardim Europa, São Paulo)
- When: starting April 16
Hours: Tuesdays to Fridays, from 10am to 7pm; Saturdays, from 10am to 8pm; Sundays and holidays, from 10am to 6pm. - Tickets: from Wednesday to Sunday: R$60 (full) / R$30 (half)
- Sales: no
- Free day: on Tuesdays
- Classification: book
