GloveTrotter,1991

RiodeJaneiro,1948;livesandworksinRiodeJaneiro
stainlesssteelmeshandballsofseveralsizes,colorsandmaterials
InGloveTrotter,CildoMeirelesstriveswiththeclassicissuesofsculpture:
volume, weight and gravity. However, these issues unfold into notions of
geographical context andof universality. By bringing together spheres from
differentorigins,historiesanduses,Cildounderscoreswhatisdifferent,andyet
equal,ineachoftheseobjects,creatinganalmostmusicalsculpturallanguage
throughvariationsofheight.Thesteelmeshcoverstheobjectsandleadsusto
thinkofapossiblespanningofallbodiesinonefield,inadditiontoextending
theworksreferences.Ontheonehanditharksbacktoancientmetalstructures
usedinmedievalarmor;ontheotheritconfersonthesculpturethefuturistic
aspectofalunarlandscape.
Desvioparaovermelho:Impregnao,Entorno,Desvio,19671984
RiodeJaneiro,1948;livesandworksinRiodeJaneiro
Sincethelate1960s,CildoMeireleshasmadehismarkasauniquevoicein
contemporary art, constructing a body of work that is permeated by the
international language of conceptual art while simultaneously engaging in a
personaldialogwiththepoeticlegacyoftheBrazilianneoconcretismofLygia
ClarkandHlioOiticica.Hispioneeringworkinthefieldofinstallationartis
strikingforitswiderangeofsupports,techniquesandmaterials,nearlyalways
leadingtobroaderpoliticalandsocialissues.RedShiftisthusoneofhismost
complex and ambitious works conceived in 1967, assembled in several
versionssince1984andonpermanentdisplayatInhotimsince2006.Itismade
upofthreeinterlinkedenvironments.Inthefirst(Impregnation)wecomeupon
anwiderangingmonochromaticcollectionoffurniture,objectsandworksofart
indifferenttones,broughttogetherplausiblyandyetimprobablybysome
domesticidiosyncrasy.Inthefollowingenvironments,SurroundingsandShift,
wehavewhattheartistcallsanecdotalexplanationsofthesamephenomenonas
inthefirstroom,wherecolorsaturatesmaterial,tobecomematerial.Thework
isopentoarangeofsymbolismsandmetaphors,fromtheviolenceofbloodto
ideologicalconnotations,butwhatintereststheartististooffertheviewera
sequence of sensory and psychological impacts: a series of false logical
assumptionsthatalwaysleadusbacktothesamestartingpoint.
Pape,Lygia
NovaFriburgo,Brazil,1927RiodeJaneiro,2004
Ttia1C,2002
metalizedthread

In Rio de Janeiro, where she built her career, Pape joined the Frente and
Neoconcretogroups,activelyparticipatingintherenewalthatmarkedBrazilian
artatthetime.ThewayconstructiveideasofEuropeanavantgardemovements
werereceivedledtotheformulationofanoriginalsynthesis,culminatinginthe
1stExposiodeArteNeoconcretaandthemovementsmanifesto,signedby
Pape in 1959, together with Amlcar de Castro, Ferreira Gullar, Franz
Weissmann,LygiaClark,ReynaldoJardimandTheonSpanudis.Thetexttalks
about the reevaluation of freedom of experimentation, thus questioning
rationalistparametersoftheconstructiveprojectandrecoveringthesubjective
dimensionoftheartworkitself.
Neoconcretismo
A ruptura neoconcreta na arte brasileira data de maro de 1959, com a
publicaodoManifestoNeoconcretopelogrupodemesmonome,edeveser
compreendidaapartirdomovimentoconcretonopas,queremontaaoincioda
dcadade1950eaosartistasdoGrupoFrente,noRiodeJaneiro,edoGrupo
Ruptura,emSoPaulo.Tributriadascorrentesabstracionistasmodernasdas
primeiras dcadas do sculo XX com razes em experincias como as da
Bauhaus,dosgrupoDeStijl[OEstilo]eCercleetCarr,almdosuprematismo
e construtivismo soviticos , a arte concreta ganha terreno no pas em
consonncia com as formulaes de Max Bill, principal responsvel pela
entradadesseiderioplsticonaAmricaLatina,logoapsaSegundaGuerra
Mundial(19391945).
Ocontextodesenvolvimentistadecrenanaindstriaenoprogressodotom
dapocaemqueosadeptosdaarteconcretanoBrasilvosemovimentar.O
programa concreto parte de uma aproximao entre trabalho artstico e
industrial.Daarteafastadaqualquerconotaolricaousimblica.Oquadro,
construdoexclusivamentecomelementosplsticosplanosecores,notem
outrasignificaosenoeleprprio.Menosdoquerepresentararealidade,a
obra de arte evidencia estruturas e planos relacionados, formas seriadas e
geomtricas,quefalamporsimesmos.Adespeitodeumapautageralpartilhada
pelo concretismo noBrasil,possvelafirmarqueainvestigaodosartistas
paulistas enfatiza o conceito de pura visualidade da forma, qual o grupo
cariocaopeumaarticulaoforteentrearteevidaqueafastaaconsiderao
daobracomo"mquina"ou"objeto",eumanfasemaiornaintuiocomo
requisitofundamental dotrabalhoartstico.AsdivergnciasentreRioeSo
PauloseexplicitamnaExposioNacionaldeArteConcreta,SoPaulo,1956,
eRiodeJaneiro,1957,inciodorompimentoneoconcreto.
Omanifestode1959,assinadopor AmilcardeCastro, FerreiraGullar, Franz
Weissmann, Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, Reynaldo Jardim e Theon Spanudis,

denunciajnaslinhasiniciaisquea"tomadadeposioneoconcreta"sefaz
"particularmenteemfacedaarteconcretalevadaaumaperigosaexacerbao
racionalista".Contraasortodoxiasconstrutivaseodogmatismogeomtrico,os
neoconcretosdefendemaliberdadedeexperimentao,oretornosintenes
expressivas e o resgate da subjetividade. A recuperao das possibilidades
criadorasdoartistanomaisconsideradouminventordeprottiposindustrais
eaincorporaoefetivadoobservadorqueaotocaremanipularasobras
tornasepartedelasapresentamsecomotentativasdeeliminarcertoacento
tcnicocientficopresentenoconcretismo.Seaartefundamentalmentemeio
de expresso, eno produo de feitio industrial, porqueo fazer artstico
ancorasenaexperinciadefinidanotempoenoespao.Aoempirismoe
objetividadeconcretosquelevariam,nolimite, perdadaespecificidadedo
trabalhoartstico,osneoconcretosrespondemcomadefesadamanutenoda
"aura"daobradearteedarecuperaodeumhumanismo.
Umatentativaderenovaodalinguagemgeomtricapodeserobservadanas
esculturasdeAmilcardeCastro.Oscortesedobrasfeitosemmateriaisrgidos
comooferro,evidenciamotrabalhodespendidonaconfecodoobjeto.Do
embateentreoatodoartistaquebuscatraosprecisoseamatriaresistente,
nasce a obra, fruto do esforo construtivo, mas tambm da emoo. Nas
palavrasdeCastro:"Artesememooprecria.MaxBillqueriaumacoisato
fabulosamente pura, sem emoo". Nas sries dos Bilaterais e Relevos
Espaciais,1959,de HlioOiticica enosTrepantesrealizadosporLygiaClark
nadcadade1960,porexemplo,asformasconquistamoespaodemaneira
decisivapara,logoemseguida,romperasdistnciasentreoobservadorea
obra,comonosBichos,criadosporLygiaClarkenosLivros,deLygiaPape.A
arteinterpelaomundo,avidaetambmocorpo,atestamoBalletNeoconcreto,
1958,deLygiaPapeeosPenetrveis,BlideseParangolscriadosporOiticica
nosanos1960.Acor,recusadaporpartedoconcretismo,invadeaspesquisas
neoconcretas, por exemplo nas obras de Alusio Carvo, Hrcules Barsotti,
WillysdeCastroeOiticica.Estudosrealizadossobreotemafrisamolugardo
movimentoneoconcretocomodivisordeguasnahistriadasartesvisuaisno
Brasil; umpontoderupturada artemoderna nopas,dizocrticoRonaldo
Brito.
The neoconcrete rupture in Brazilian art dates from March 1959, when the
ManifestoNeoconcreto[NeoconcreteManifesto]waspublished,andshouldbe
understoodwithinthecontextoftheBrazilianConcreteArtmovement,which
datesfromtheearly1950sandcanbetracedbacktotheworkofartistsfromthe
Grupo Frente [Frente Group], in Rio de Janeiro, and the Grupo Ruptura
[RuptureGroup],inSoPaulo.Anoffspringofthemodernabstractionisttrends
fromthefirstdecadesofthe20thcenturydrawingequallyupontheBauhaus,

DeStijl[TheStyle]andCercleetCarr[CircleandSquare],aswellasSoviet
SuprematismandConstructivism,theConcreteArtmovementgainedground
in Brazil keeping with the formulations of Max Bill, who pioneered its
introductioninLatinAmericafollowingWorldWarII(19391945).
Theideologyofdevelopment,withitsattendantbeliefinindustryandprogress,
markedtheenvironmentinwhichtheConcreteArtmovementinBrazilwould
evolve. Its program relied primarily on the approximation between art and
industry.Theformerwasstrippedfromanylyricalorsymbolicconnotations
whatsoever.Theartwork,reducedtotheessentialsofplanesandcolors,hadno
othermeaningbutthis.Ratherthanrepresentingreality,itwasacomplexof
interrelated structures and planes, serial and geometrical patterns that had a
meaning in and of themselves. Although both shared, to a greater or lesser
extent,thetenetsoftheConcreteArtmovementinBrazil,theSoPaulobranch
stressedintheirresearchthenotionofpurelyvisualforms,whereastheRiode
Janeirobranchplacedspecialemphasisontherelationofartandlife,therefore
rejecting the notion of the work of art as a "machine", or "object", and
highlighting the instrumental role performed by intuition. The differences
betweenthetwogroupsbecameapparentduringtheExposioNacionalde
ArteConcreta[NationalExhibitionofConcreteArt],heldinSoPaulo,1956,
andRiodeJaneiro,1957,whichmarkedthebeginningoftherupture.
The 1959 manifesto, signed by Amilcar de Castro, Ferreira Gullar, Franz
Weissmann,LygiaClark,LygiaPape,ReynaldoJardimandTheonSpanudis,
statedthatthe"Neoconcretiststand"hadbeentaken"especiallyvisvisthe
Concrete Art movement, which has dangerously indulged in excessive
rationalism". Opposing the orthodox dogmatism of the constructivist and
geometrictrends,Neoconcretismdefendedfreedomofexperimentation,return
totheexpressiveactandtherestorationofsubjectivity.Therecoveryofthe
creativepotentialoftheartistnolongerconsideredasaninventorofindustrial
prototypesandtheeffectiveincorporationofthespectatorwho,bytouching
andmanipulatingtheworks,becomesanintegralpartofthemwerepresented
asattemptstoneutralizeacertaintechnicalandscientificinclinationperceived
inConcretism.Ifartisessentiallyameansofexpressionratherthanaproduct
ofindustry,itisbecausethecreativeprocessdrawsuponadefiniteexperience
oftimeandspace.NeoconcretismrespondedtotheConcreteArtmovement's
relianceonempiricismandobjectivity,ultimatelyleadingtotheuniformityof
theworkofart,byupholdingthelatter's"aura"andrestoringhumanism.
Anattempttorenewthegeometriclanguagemaybenoticedinthesculpturesof
AmlcardeCastro.Thecutsandfoldspracticedinnonpliantmaterials,like
iron, evidence the work expended in making the object. From the struggle
betweentheartist'sgesturewhoaimsatprecisestrokesandtheresisting
materials,theworkofartisborn,aresultofconstructionbutalsoofemotion.In

thewordsofCastro:"Artwithoutemotionisatriflething.MaxBillwishedfor
somethingsoincrediblypureanddevoidofemotion".IntheseriesBilaterais
[Bilaterals]andRelevosEspaciais[SpatialReliefs],1959,ofHlioOiticica,as
well asinLygiaClark'sTrepantes[Climbers]fromthe1960s,forexample,
form conquered space decisively only to immediately abolish the distance
betweentheworkofartandthespectator,asinBichos[Animals],byLygia
Clark,andLivros[Books],byLygiaPape.Artquestionstheworld,lifeandthe
bodyitself,asevidencedbytheBalletNeoconcreto[NeoconcreteBallet],1958,
of Lygia Pape, and by Penetrveis [Penetrables], Blides [Bolides] and
Parangols,createdbyOiticicainthe1960s.RejectedbyConcretism,colorwas
the subject of an indepth investigation by neoconcrete artists, like Alusio
Carvo,HrculesBarsotti,WillysdeCastroandOiticica.Studiesfocusingon
Neoconcretismhaveemphasizedtheroleofthemovementasawatershedinthe
historyofBrazilianart.Indeed,itwasapointofrupturereachedbymodernart
inBrazil,saidthecriticRonaldoBrito.

DAlmeida,NevilleOiticica,Hlio
HlioOiticica
RiodeJaneiro,19371980
NevilleDAlmeida
BeloHorizonte,MG,1941;livesandworksinRiodeJaneiro
Cosmococa5Hendrixwar,1973
mixedmedia
WhilelivinginNewYorkintheearly1970s,HlioOiticicacollaborated
withfilmmakerNevilleDAlmeidatocreategroundbreakinginstallations
that he termed quasicinemas. Those pieces transformed slide
projectionsintospatialinstallations,toimmerseviewersinmultisensory
experiences.ThequasicinemasareaculminationofOiticicascareerlong
effort to draw the spectator into the center of his art, and to create
somethingthatisasmuchaneventorprocessasitisanobjectorproduct,
achallengetothetraditionallypassiverelationshipbetweentheartwork
andtheaudience.OiticicaandDAlmeidadevelopedfivequasicinemas
entitledBlockExperimentsinCosmococa.
PalmPavilion,20062008
BuenosAires,Argentina,1961;livesinChiangMai,Thailand,andNew
York,USA
PalmPavilion,20062008

metal,wood,palmtreesandvariousmaterials
Originallyconceivedforthe27thBienaldeSoPaulo,in2006,thework
PalmPavilion(20062008)hasbeensetupintheopenairforthefirst
time at Inhotim. The pavilionis an adaptation of the famous Maison
Tropicale(1951),byFrencharchitectJeanProuv
(19011984), who developed a sort of prefabricated dwelling
manufactured in France andshipped overseas for bureaucrats and
merchantsresidingintheAfricancolonies.Besidesfunctioningasanicon
of recent architectural history, the replica by Tiravanija housesvarious
speciesofpalmtreesaswellasshowcasesandtableswithobjectsrelated
totheplant,andvideos.ThevideosdocumentanucleartestintheSouth
Pacific,withagroupofpalmtreesintheforeground,alongwithaseriesof
imagesthattakethepalmtreeasaculturalreferenceincludingscientific
illustrations, paper currency and stamps. With thecollaboration of
Inhotimsbotanicalteam,whichaddedalargecollectionofpalmtrees
tothe work, Tiravanija complements the purely scientific view of the
BotanicalGardenwithaSocioculturalanalysisonthespecies,aniconof
tropicalexoticism.