ExhibitionSeptember 26, 2022
Rivane Neuenschwander: Wild Seeds
Rivane Neuenschwander's first solo exhibition in Portugal is centered around her most recent work – Eu sou uma arara [I am a Macaw] (2022) – which will have its global premiere in Serralves. Curated by Inês Grosso, Chief Curator of the Museu de Arte Contemporânea.
Made in collaboration with filmmaker Mariana Lacerda, this medium-length film is a critique and reflection on the impact of Amazonian deforestation upon its indigenous peoples at a moment of particular political and social tension. This work is also the outcome of a long research period and a series of actions in São Paulo, where dozens of figures inspired by the Brazilian flora and fauna were paraded through the city streets.
The show includes Neuenschwander's 'Trópego Trópico (Dark Tropics)' series rooted in a broader series initiated during the Covid-19 pandemic, which continues the Brazilian artist's longstanding exploration of fear. The works depict anthropomorphic creatures entwined in a violent embrace. Reptiles, insect-like figures, and female bodies fuse in rhythmic sequences. Their vivid color and robust forms draw on 17th-century Japanese erotic woodcuts and Cordel folk literature, popular in Brazil's Northeast region.
Heir to the historical legacy of the post-war avant-garde movements, from the Neo-concrete to Tropicália, Rivane Neuenschwander (b. 1967) uses a variety of mediums to create a unique universe exploring narratives on a diverse range of themes, such as language and time, literature and popular culture, psychoanalysis and art, nature and society, politics and philosophy, fear and desire. One of her most iconic works, 'I Desire Your Desire', 2003, a compilation of "desires" reminiscent of Senhor do Bonfim Wish Bracelets, is on display in the Chapel of Serralves Villa.
Made in collaboration with filmmaker Mariana Lacerda, this medium-length film is a critique and reflection on the impact of Amazonian deforestation upon its indigenous peoples at a moment of particular political and social tension. This work is also the outcome of a long research period and a series of actions in São Paulo, where dozens of figures inspired by the Brazilian flora and fauna were paraded through the city streets.
The show includes Neuenschwander's 'Trópego Trópico (Dark Tropics)' series rooted in a broader series initiated during the Covid-19 pandemic, which continues the Brazilian artist's longstanding exploration of fear. The works depict anthropomorphic creatures entwined in a violent embrace. Reptiles, insect-like figures, and female bodies fuse in rhythmic sequences. Their vivid color and robust forms draw on 17th-century Japanese erotic woodcuts and Cordel folk literature, popular in Brazil's Northeast region.
Heir to the historical legacy of the post-war avant-garde movements, from the Neo-concrete to Tropicália, Rivane Neuenschwander (b. 1967) uses a variety of mediums to create a unique universe exploring narratives on a diverse range of themes, such as language and time, literature and popular culture, psychoanalysis and art, nature and society, politics and philosophy, fear and desire. One of her most iconic works, 'I Desire Your Desire', 2003, a compilation of "desires" reminiscent of Senhor do Bonfim Wish Bracelets, is on display in the Chapel of Serralves Villa.
