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Reading time 7 min

Inhotim opens first traveling exhibition

Redação Inhotim

Opening on December 12, the Palácio das Artes and the Centro de Arte Contemporânea e Fotografia in Belo Horizonte are hosting the exhibition Do Objeto para o Mundo – Coleção Inhotim [From the Object to the World – The Inhotim Collection]. This traveling show marks the first time that a part of Instituto Inhotim’s collection has left the institute’s facilities in Brumadinho (MG). Featuring over 50 artworks , which date from the 1950s up to the present day, the exhibition is composed of a cross-section of the collection. and examines the field of contemporary art, in the light of the institution’s collection and programs, which first opened to the general public in 2006. Co-produced by Fundação Clóvis Salgado, the show will run until March 8, 2015, after which it will travel onward to São Paulo, opening at Itaú Cultural in April 2015. It will be free to enter at all touring venues.

 

The exhibition focuses on a historical moment when art expanded beyond objects to become more open to the world. In this context, elements from daily life, from real space, from politics and the body are incorporated into art and the spectator becomes a participant. For Rodrigo Moura – Inhotim’s director of art and cultural programs, and the curator of the exhibition – this is an opportunity for audiences to get to know the institute’s collection, as most of the artworks have never been shown at the park. “They are works that point out possible paths in the history of art over the last 50 years, which have allowed Inhotim to be what it is,” he explains.

 

The president of Fundação Clóvis Salgado, Fernanda Machado, draws attention to the importance of the circulation of Inhotim’s collection. “We are very happy to be displaying this rich collection for the first time. We understand that it involves a bold project that aims to offer the public a glimpse at a wide variety of previously unseen artworks. We believe that this partnership allows us to enlarge the mission of Fundação Clóvis Salgado and to further expand access to culture to our audiences.”

 

An exhibition path in four segments

In the main gallery of the Palácio das Artes, historical works are placed in dialogue with more recent ones. Organized in four segments, the exhibition path begins with the neoconcretism of Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Clark and Lygia Pape, passes through the conceptual geometry of Channa Horwitz, Cildo Meireles and David Lamelas as well as through the avant-garde works of the Gutai group, which arose in Japan during years immediately following the second World War, and ends with action art and the presence of the body in art, exemplified by the work of Chris Burden, among others and are presented in dialogue with artists such as Gabriel Sierra, Jac Leirner, Cinthia Marcelle, and others.

 

The galleries on the lower level feature smaller-scale installations by Ernesto Neto, Jorge Macchi,Mauro Restiffe, Melanie Smith, Rivane Neuenschwander and Thomas Hirschhorn. At the Centro de Arte Contemporânea e Fotografia, a historical building in the city’s downtown region, the video installation Homo sapiens sapiens (2005) by Pipilotti Rist, will be shown for the first time in Brazil. Filmed at Inhotim before the park was opened to the general public, the work explores the institute’s garden and creates an immersive environment that encourages the visitor to lie back and absorb the images projected on the ceiling.

 

From the Body to the Earth

The exhibition’s title also refers to the event Do Corpo à Terra [From the Body to the Earth], which took place during the inauguration of the Palácio das Artes, in April 1970. Organized by critic Frederico Morais, today it is considered a milestone in the investigations concerning the environmental and experimentalist art of the avant-garde movement in Brazil. Two productions made on that occasion are part of the show: Ação no Parque Municipal [Action at the Municipal Park] 1970, by Décio Noviello, and Situação T/T 1 – Belo Horizonte [Situation T/T 1 – Belo Horizonte], 1970, by Artur Barrio.

 

OPENING TALKS

The first days of the exhibition will feature special programming, with talks between artists and curators.

December 12 (Friday), at 7:30 p.m. – Palácio das Artes – Sala Juvenal Dias

The artists David Lamelas and Jorge Macchi will answer questions from curators Rodrigo Moura and Inês Grosso.

Seating capacity: 170 people. Free admission, by order of arrival.

Simultaneous Spanish-Portuguese translation.

 

December 13 (Saturday), at 2:30 p.m. – Palácio das Artes – Sala Juvenal Dias

Cildo Meireles, Décio Noviello and Frederico Morais participate in a conversation mediated by curator Júlia Rebouças.

Seating capacity: 170 people. Free admission, by order of arrival.

 

EXHIBITION

Do Objeto para o Mundo – Coleção Inhotim

Where: Palácio das Artes (Av. Afonso Pena, 1.537, Centro, Belo Horizonte/MG) and Centro de Arte Contemporânea e Fotografia (Av. Afonso Pena, 737, Centro, Belo Horizonte/MG).

When: from December 12, 2014, to March 8, 2015. Tuesday through Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Visits program: during the week, the Educational Program in Visual Arts of FCS will provide guided visits to both walk-in and pre-booked visitors. Groups of six people and larger require prior scheduling by phone: (+55 31) 3236-7471 or email: agendamento.educativo@fcs.mg.gov.br.

– On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, the educators propose a thematic path that further investigates the work ofartists featured in the exhibition. Starting times: Saturdays, at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sundays, at 4:30 p.m.

 

The exhibition Do Objeto para o Mundo – Coleção Inhotim [From the Object to the World – The Inhotim Collection] is é realizada pelo Ministério da Cultura, tem apresentação do Inhotim e Itaú e correalização da Fundação Clóvis Salgado.

Reading time 3 min

The garden and other myths

Equipe de mediadores

Since early September, Inhotim has shown the individual exhibit The Garden and other myths, by Romanian artist Geta Br?tescu. Occupying part of Galeria Lago, the exhibit gathers works produced from the 1960s to 2012, and shows a great range of the artist’s production and her perceptions on the female condition, as well as on the making of art itself.

 

Geta Br?tescu is currently 88 years old. She has studied in the School of Languages and in the Fine Arts Institute in Bucharest. As it happened in other dictatorships in Western Europe, the Romanian art scene was divided into the “official art”, aimed at State propaganda, and the productions that appeared outside public institutions, in a marginalized way. This was the context in which Br?tescu produced for three decades, and worked as an illustrator for cultural newspaper Secolul 20. Some of the works published back then can be seen in the exhibit.

 

Nuduri
Charcoal and ink crawing on paper, from the “Nuduri” (1975) series, part of the “The Garden and other miths” exhibit. Photo: Rossana Magri

Collages, lithographs, book illustrations, photographs, prints, tapestry, experimental films and video-performances are some of the techniques used by Br?tescu. At Inhotim, some of her works refer back to classical ancient times and Greek mythology. This is the case of Medea, the representation of the mythical character who betrays her family to live with her great love, Jason. When Medea finds out she was replaced by another woman, she kills her own children to revenge.

 

Like other artists, Br?tescu visited industrial areas in the country and used this context as a source of inspiration in her production. The circular shape of boilers, pressure gauges, and iron train wheels can be seen in several works, such as Circles (2012). Would the circle be a metaphorical principle?Could the shape of a circle narrate the ups and downs of the Romanian communist regime?These are but a few reflections that emerge from the artist’s work. Make sure to check it out!

 

 

Magno Silva, art educator at Instituto Inhotim

 

Reading time 2 min

The sleeping city

Redação Inhotim

Modernist sculptor Ji?í Lang probably could not imagine that, ten years after his passing, his works created in the Czech Republic during the soviet regime would be shown in Brazil. Although his work was considered promising at the time, the uniformity and control imposed by the government kept his sculptures dormant in his studio, in Prague.

In 2011, his son, Dominik Lang, brought new meaning to the sculptures creating The Sleeping City installation.  Dominik organized his father’s forgotten pieces, fracturing and surrounding them with physical obstacles such as wardrobes, tables, among others. The work displayed at the 54th Venice Biennial can now be seen at Inhotim and suggests questioning on art’s visibility and destiny.

dominik-lang-inauguracao-2014-2
Dominik Lang grew up seeing his father’s sculptures dormant at his studio.

Since his early creations his has been interested in artistic production and space modification. Dominik Lang often stands between the role of the author and that of the architect, making ephemeral interventions that change the way we perceive objects and places. By choosing his father’s work as his raw material, Dominik creates an unlikely reunion of two generations.

The next time you visit Inhotim, don’t miss out on the opportunity to stop by Galeria Lago and see his work up close.

dominik-lang-sleeping-city
The artist took part in the installation assembly with curator Rodrigo Moura at Galeria Lago, at Inhotim. Photo: Daniela Paoliello
Reading time 5 min

Carroll Dunham’s garden

Redação Inhotim

If you think you can visit the entire park in one single visit, beware that this might not be that easy. To experience all corners of the park, including the galleries and gardens, you currently need, on average, three days.As of next week, the visit will become even more interesting.

 

We will explain: every year Inhotim either changes exhibits in one of the four temporary galleries or opens permanent galleries.In September, the Institute presents new works at Galeria Lago (click here to learn more) and opens its eighteenth space dedicated to a specific artist, this time, it´s North-American artist Carroll Dunham.

 

His first contact with Inhotim curators happened in 2005 – before the park was even opened for visitation. This meeting led to an invitation for Dunham to take his experience at Inhotim as a reference and create something new.

 

Born in New Haven (USA) in 1949, Carroll Dunham’s production started in late 1970s in New York, where he still lives. The influences that marked his work during this trajectory range from expressionism to pop art, passing through surrealism, with a touch of eroticism and cartoon aesthetics.

 

Carroll Dunham, Large Bather  (quicksand), 2006-2012.
Carroll Dunham, “Large Bather (quicksand)”, 2006-2012.

The result of this mix was the creation of quite a unique style: scenes in which geometric drawings coexist with organic forms, in which abstraction dialogs with figurative art and the nature-culture duality is revealed with vibrant colors. The representation of the body with strong sexual content is also a striking feature in his production. This can be seen in the series of paintings of bathers, to which the artist dedicated countless canvases since the year 2000.

 

For Inhotim, Dunham has created a series of five paintings entitled Garden [2008]. The paintings were finished in 2008 and will be displayed for the first time now, at an old farmhouse located within the park property. The space has been adapted especially for the exhibit.

Além dos traços pretos característicos que descrevem as figuras, a forma do espiral se tornou um código pictórico no trabalho de Dunham. (Carroll Dunham, Garden  1, 2008. Cortesia Gladstone Gallery, Nova York e Bruxelas. Foto: David Regen)
In addition to the black lines that describe the figures, the spiral shape has become a pictorial code in Dunham’s work. (Carroll Dunham, “Garden 1”, 2008. Courtesy of Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels. Photo: David Regen)

Before becoming part of Inhotim’s permanent exhibits, Carroll Dunham’s works have been shown in other institutions renowned in the art scene such as the Museum of Modern Art, in New York, the Musée d´Art Moderne, in Paris, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, in Madrid.

 

The artist makes no assumptions about the future of art, or even that of painting.When asked about the theme by Blouin Artinfo, he replied: “I have no clue about what lies in the future, but it seems as if people need images”.

 

Plan your visit to Inhotim and visit the works that comprise Garden (2008).

 

Reading time 4 min

New exhibitions at Inhotim

Redação Inhotim

As of September 4, those visiting Inhotim will be able to see several new artworks. Artists from Eastern Europe, Asia and the United States propose a new look towards contemporary art production.

 

According to Rodrigo Moura, art and cultural program director for the Institute, in the past 10 years interest for art from Latin America and other regions outside hegemonic production centers has increased worldwide. “This movement is very much related to a perspective of narrative decentralization. Considering this context, we understand that the role of a space such as Inhotim is not only to collect renowned names, but also to introduce others, less known here”, he says.

 

A new permanent gallery, the eighteenth in the Institute, will be dedicated to North-American painter Carroll Dunham. This gallery will shelter a series of paintings entitled Garden (2008), which comprises five works that reflect the artist’s impressions about Inhotim.

 

carroll
One of the paintings in the “Garden” series (2008), by Carroll Dunham. Courtesy of Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels. Photo: David Regen

Galeria Lago, one of the four spaces that hold temporary exhibits at Inhotim, will receive works by three different artists. Romanian Geta Br?tescu, considered a type of Eastern Europe Louise Bourgeois, will have a major individual display of her production, with works made between 1986 and 2013 and entitled The garden and other myths.

geta
“Medea Hypostases III” (1980), by Geta Br?tescu. Courtesy of the artist and Ivan Gallery, Romania. Photo: Stefan Sava

Dominik Lang, from the Czech Republic, presents Sleeping City (2011), an installation composed of bronze sculptures created by the artist’s father. Amid iron and wooden sculptures, the pieces acquire new meanings.

Domink
“Sleeping City” (2011), by Dominik Lang. Photo: Ondrej Polak

Filipino artist David Medalla will present the work Cloud-Gates (1965/2013) from the Bubble Machines series – kinetic sculpture formed by foam and first created by the artist in the 1960s.

medalla
“Cloud-Gates Bubble Machine” (1963-2013), by David Medalla. Courtesy of Baró Galeria. PR Photo

To celebrate the opening of new projects, musicians Jards Macalé and Jorge Mautner will be on the Inhotim em Cena stage for a special performance. Musical partners and longtime friends, the two artists will replay Brazilian popular music hits and promise to surprise the audience. The concert starts at 3 p.m., near the Magic Square.