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El Puerto, de José Leonilson: O Desamparo em Contexto de Epidemia do HIV

Abstract

This article analyzes the work El puerto (1992) by José Leonilson (1957–1993) in light of Freud’s notion of helplessness. We understand that, especially in his later works, the artist foregrounds his experience within a historical and social context strongly marked by homophobia and the HIV epidemic. For our analysis, we adopt Paul Ricœur’s Triple Mimesis model, which allows us to read Leonilson’s work as a narrative/self‑writing. Applying this methodology, our research unfolds in three linked stages: first, we investigate the historical context in which the artist lived and produced the work; next, we analyze the narrative configurations and strategies present in the corpus; finally, we reflect on how the work’s encounter with the reader/viewer contributes to thinking about helplessness. We observe that, increasingly, his production acquires an autobiographical character, constituting significant records of a seminal period while also serving as an essential tool to elaborate and understand lived time and its condition of helplessness.