How long does an invitation, a proposal, last? During the month of May, the art guided tours at Inhotim address still life and its relationship with time. The acknowledgment of time as a necessary condition for the existence of life has motivated several artists to risk the possibility of putting a stop to it. They tend to capture the instant, or even make time go by as if it were in slow motion, in which case it is possible to observe details of the transformation of something new based on what had existed, but no longer does.
One of the videos in the Natureza-Morta exhibit, at Galeria Fonte, is 10:51 (2009), by Argentinean artist Jorge Macchi. In this work, a clock projected onto the line between the wall and the ceiling causes us to observe how the experience with space conditions and is conditioned by our relationship with the passage of time. Have you stopped to think about how you get organized and is controlled by a clock hanging on your wall at home, on the street, at work or even attached to your wrist?
Another piece of work that establishes a deep dialog with the idea of time (de)composing is Ahora juguemos a desaparecer II (2002), by Cuban artist Carlos Garaicoa. In this work, the video-installation shows an ongoing experiment, in which famous pieces of architecture are set on fire, trigging a number of possible discussions that range from the emergence of new social orders to the suffering of ancient cultures. Often the social condition of different times and cultures builds unique perceptions of time, which happens through the observation of nature or is materialized in artifacts, from the sun clock to the work of art, for instance.
Detail of the work “Ahora juguemos a desaparecer II” (2002), by Carlos Garaicoa. Photo: Daniela Paoliello
What does being part of time, belonging to time, mean?
Written by Alison Loureiro, art-educator at Inhotim
Discuss contemporary issues and their connection to Inhotims universe. This is the proposal of the Space, Work and History Seminar, help by Inhotim Escola on May 23 and 24, in Belo Horizonte. During the event, three panels will gather artists, thinkers and three important names in the Institutes collection: Adriana Varejão, Marilá Dardot and Marcius Galan.
Our idea is to promote a creative space to discuss some issues that seem to be key in contemporary art as well as in the work carried out at Inhotim, which are also important for our time in general. The focus of the seminar is not academic or strictly theoretical. We intend to bring subjective, sensitive approaches, together with criticism based on the work and actions of each one, explain curator Júlia Rebouças, in charge of the program.
Each panel will be composed of three guests: one theorist, one artist whose work is present in the Institutes collection and one artist of a different discipline. Curator Júlia Rebouças and Inhotims art and cultural program director Rodrigo Moura will mediate the discussions. The event will follow the Nature, Time and Poetry seminar held in the launching of Inhotim Escola in 2013. Check out the detailed program:
Space Panel
May 23, 7:30 PM
Mediator: Júlia Rebouças
Guests:
Marcius Galan is majored in Art Education at FAAP and took part in residence programs at Cité des Arts, in Paris, and at the Art Institute of Chicago. He won the 2012 PIPA award, which took him to the Gasworks Residence Program. Two of his works are on display at Inhotim: Seção Diagonal (2008) and Imóvel/Instável (2011), which establish dialogs about sculpture, illusion and space perception.
“Seção Diagonal” (2008), by Marcius Galan, in exhibition at Galeria Mata. Photo: Pedro Motta
Fernando de Mello Franco is a professor and took his Ph.D. in Architecture at USP (Universidade de São Paulo). He was part of the curators committee responsible for Rotterdam and Venice biennials and is currently the Secretary of Human Development for the municipality of São Paulo. In this panel, he will talk about the city as an urban space and its challenges.
Grace Passô is an actress, director and playwright. In 2004, she was one of the founders of Grupo Espanca!, from the state of Minas Gerais. She currently directs the play O Contrato, with Grupo 3s actresses Yara de Novaes and Débora Falabellla. In the Seminar, Grace will talk about the body in relation to space and its place on stage.
Work Panel
May 24, 10:30 AM
Mediator: Rodrigo Moura
Guests:
Marilá Dardot was born in the state of Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte. She is majored in Social Communications at UFMG, and took her M.A. in Visual Languages at the UFRJ School of Fine Arts. A Origem da Obra de Arte (2002), permanently on display at Inhotim, proposes a reflection on the construction of works of art. At Inhotim Escola, the artist addresses these and other issues related to her work, such as techniques and tools used to create it.
“A Origem da Obra de Arte” (2002), by Marilá Dardot. Photo: Pedro Motta
Peter Pál Pelbart is a philosopher, essayist and professor. He was born in Budapest, Hungary, but lives in São Paulo, where he coordinates Companhia Teatral Ueinzz, formed by psychiatric patients from A Casa, a partial hospitalization facility. Interested in studying the work of Gilles Deleuze, he helps discuss works role in society.
Francisco Alvim is a poet and diplomat. Influenced by his sister, poet Maria Ângela Alvim, he stated writing when he was still a teenager. Sol dos Cegos, his first book, was released in 1968. After spending some time in Paris working for Unesco, Alvim returned to Brazil and joined the Frenesi literary group, which was active in mimeographed poetry in the 1970. In this event, he will talk about the work of a writer and the craft of writing.
History Panel
May 24, 2:30 PM
Mediator: Júlia Rebouças
Guests:
Adriana Varejão was born in Rio de Janeiro and chose painting as the main support for her production. Her first exhibit was in 1988 at Galeria Thomas Cohn, in Rio de Janeiro. In her works on display at Inhotim, you can track the diversity of interests in her work and the array of sources of research. Through painting, sculptures and installations, the artist has discussed Brazilian history and, above all, how the Brazilian people was forged.
“Celacanto Provoca Maremoto” (2004-2008), by Adriana Varejão. Photo: Ricardo Mallaco
Norma Côrtes is a historian majored at PUC Rio, with a post-doctorate in Culture History by USP. She is a professor at UFRJ and works with Social and Cultural History, investigating, among others, the way historical phenomena are comprehended. In this panel, she will help establish the counterpoint between hegemonic and marginalized narratives of past happenings.
Eduardo Moreira was born in Rio de Janeiro and moved to Belo Horizonte at age 13. Playwright and founder of Grupo Galpão, he has also taken part in all of the group’s plays as an actor. In cinema, he has acted in national productions such as O ano que meus Pais saíram de férias (2006) and Bastismo de Sangue (2007). At Inhotim Escola, he talks about history as a story and its fictional narratives.
Plan Ahead!
Inhotim School presents the Seminary Space, Work and History.
Date and time: May 23, panel at 7:30 PM; May 24, panels at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM
Location: Museu Histórico Abílio Barreto Auditorium – Avenida Prudente de Morais, 202 – Cidade Jardim
Admission Fee: Free, by order of arrival. Capacity: 100 seats.
Update: The panel History, that was supposed to happen on 24th in the afternoon has been canceled and will be rescheduled soon.
Only since the late 1980s the environmental issue has become a global concern. Certainly, nowadays any citizen takes notice of environmental problems. In Beijing, air pollution requires changes. In California, severe drought calls for measures such as water rationing. In New York, efforts are made to adapt city life to climate changes and to recover from the impacts of hurricane Sandy.
What about Brazil? The population in the northeastern region suffers the effects of prolonged drought, relying on water distribution by tanker trucks. In São Paulo, in addition to unbearable heat, water rationing has been implemented in some regions in the metropolitan area. So far, no news. But the reflection I make concerns whether we have actually reached a point in which we understand our own vulnerability regarding the environment.
Less than a decade ago, we faced a severe blackout, which required society to significantly reduce power consumption and obtained extremely positive results. It is a fact that these efforts have faded with time, due to lack of guidance by the public power.
We must take advantage of these crises to demand an effective fight against wastefulness. Efficient equipment and appliances, architecture and engineering that promote water reuse. We need to create a mentality that reducing our vulnerabilities which become evident during water and power crises in Brazil depends on an extreme shift in the way we enjoy our natural resources.
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This coming Tuesday, April 29, consultant Fábio Feldmann will take part in Inhotim Escola and talk to the public about more sustainable lifestyles.
During the month of April, the art guided tours at Inhotim addressed still life and its relationship with time and space. Through this art history genre, it is possible to raise issues related to items in our everyday lives, as well as to how we look at these objects and what transforms them into art.
Como aprender o o que acontece na normalidade dascoisas (2002-2005) [How to understand what happens in the natural order of things], by Spanish artist Sara Ramo, is one of the photo series that comprise the Still Life exhibit, at Galeria Fonte in Inhotim. In this work, the artist presents a series of home bathrooms which are sometimes organized, sometimes filled with utensils and personal hygiene items. By exposing these private environments, she makes them public, surfacing mysterious possibilities about everything that happens in these intimate places.
Images from the series “Como aprender o que acontece na normalidade das coisas” (2002-2005), by artist Sara Ramo
The contrast between photographys static time and the transformation of the environment on display can be related to the everyday life. By using the bathroom, we also change it. Would that be an invitation to learn and alter the everyday normality and how we look at our everyday lives? The bathroom composition as well as the choice and position of the items in the artworks allow us to observe the works not as photographs, but as a sort of sculptural moment.
The multiple works by Sara Ramo allow for several interpretations, which grants the artist the status of representative of this contemporary art that transforms the concept given to art since the Enlightenment and brings it closer to life, whether this is done due to the materials used or due to the issues raised by it.
How do we deal with our everyday lives? Are we capable of thinking utilitarian items in a different way, one that goes beyond their primary functionality?
Written by Daniela de Avelar Vaz Rodrigues, art mediator at Inhotim
Vision, hearing, taste, touch and smell. These are the five senses we use to relate to and experience the world around us. Inhotim has created the Garden of All Senses as a way to explore these capabilities. Located in the Educational Plant Nursery, it is a space intended to build knowledge through practice as well as through the exchange of information among visitors and the Institutes environmental education team.
The project includes three mandala-shaped flowerbeds, each one dedicated to aromatic, medicinal and toxic plants. In this space, visitors are invited to interact with the species and touch them, observing their specificities and even tasting them.
Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana), used to make a natural sweetener, is among the most interesting plants there, together with the white chamomile (Matricaria recutita), with soothing and anesthetic properties. During the guided tours, we encourage visitors to taste its leaves, which may cause tongue numbness.
Those who visit the garden also find out about the uses of species on display and are able to relate them to practices that have been lost with time, such as the cultivation of medicinal species or the production of vegetable gardens in our own backyards. It is also an opportunity to show appreciation to things learned from past times and traditions of our grandparents.
Opened in June 2011 during the Environment Week, the space has increasingly become important to bring science closer to the general public. The activities and educational actions carried out in this Garden play a key role in raising environmental awareness as well as in biodiversity preservation.
The Garden of All Senses was accomplished through a partnership between the Environmental Education team, the Friends of Inhotim program and institutions specialized in people with visually impairment.
Written by Diego Pimenta, environmental guide at Inhotim.
