ExhibitionApril 4, 2022
Tunga: Magnetic Conjunctions
Tunga: conjunções magnéticas" (Tunga: Magnetic Conjunctions) will be on display at Itaú Cultural and Instituto Tomie Ohtake until April 10. This exhibition results from a partnership between the institutions and Instituto Tunga and brings together significant moments in the artist's process and career.
The retrospective exhibition curated by Paulo Venancio Filho brings together approximately 300 two- and three-dimensional works (some unpublished and others rarely exhibited) by Antônio José de Barros Carvalho e Mello Mourão (1952-2016), Tunga. According to the curator, it is from the concept of "establishment," taken from the artist himself, that the exhibition proposes an immersion in his poetics, establishing a retrospective separate from a chronological reading.
The exhibition occupies the three exhibition floors of the Itaú Cultural and extends to the Tomie Ohtake Institute with the presentation of two major works: the iconic film installation "Ão" (1981) and the reassembly of the sculpture "Gravitação Magnética" (1987), in a version adapted for the large hall of the institute, the ironwork flows from the ceiling, striking for its monumentality and occupation of space; the sketches of this work are presented in the two cultural spaces. These two works were exhibited for the first time in the 19th and 16th editions of the São Paulo Biennial, respectively, and are considered some of the most representative works of the artist's career.
The exhibition presents works made by Tunga from the beginning of his career, when he was 18 years old, until his latest creations in 2015. Drawings, sculptures, objects, installations, videos, performances, and pieces from his studio (artist's notebooks, sketches, and some materials). The diversity of supports reveals his multiple interests, which ran through different areas of knowledge, such as literature, mathematics, art, and philosophy. The plurality was also present in the use of materials, such as magnets, glass, felt, rubber, lead, crystals, metals, fabrics, teeth, and bones, among others. His work gained symbolism and presence, bringing him closer to artistic production on the international scene.
To complement the exhibition and invite the viewer to delve deeper into Tunga, videos will be posted on YouTube during the exhibition. Bringing together testimonies of Paulo Venancio Filho (curator of the show), Fernando Santana (Tunga's assistant), Paulo Sérgio Duarte (curator and art critic), Waltercio Caldas (artist), Gonçalo Mello Mourão (Tunga's brother) and Lia Rodrigues (dancer and choreographer) discuss topics such as who Tunga was, the energy of the conjunction, his inspirations, his creative process, and the variety of supports and materials in his work.
"This exhibition has an almost complete scope of Tunga's work. I say 'almost' because, in the last decades, he did works that he called 'instaurações' (establishments); they were ephemeral and demanded his presence. But it is undoubtedly the largest and most complete," says the curator. "It's a unique opportunity to see all your work at once. It will probably take a long time to gather so many works from institutions and collections," he adds.
The retrospective exhibition curated by Paulo Venancio Filho brings together approximately 300 two- and three-dimensional works (some unpublished and others rarely exhibited) by Antônio José de Barros Carvalho e Mello Mourão (1952-2016), Tunga. According to the curator, it is from the concept of "establishment," taken from the artist himself, that the exhibition proposes an immersion in his poetics, establishing a retrospective separate from a chronological reading.
The exhibition occupies the three exhibition floors of the Itaú Cultural and extends to the Tomie Ohtake Institute with the presentation of two major works: the iconic film installation "Ão" (1981) and the reassembly of the sculpture "Gravitação Magnética" (1987), in a version adapted for the large hall of the institute, the ironwork flows from the ceiling, striking for its monumentality and occupation of space; the sketches of this work are presented in the two cultural spaces. These two works were exhibited for the first time in the 19th and 16th editions of the São Paulo Biennial, respectively, and are considered some of the most representative works of the artist's career.
The exhibition presents works made by Tunga from the beginning of his career, when he was 18 years old, until his latest creations in 2015. Drawings, sculptures, objects, installations, videos, performances, and pieces from his studio (artist's notebooks, sketches, and some materials). The diversity of supports reveals his multiple interests, which ran through different areas of knowledge, such as literature, mathematics, art, and philosophy. The plurality was also present in the use of materials, such as magnets, glass, felt, rubber, lead, crystals, metals, fabrics, teeth, and bones, among others. His work gained symbolism and presence, bringing him closer to artistic production on the international scene.
To complement the exhibition and invite the viewer to delve deeper into Tunga, videos will be posted on YouTube during the exhibition. Bringing together testimonies of Paulo Venancio Filho (curator of the show), Fernando Santana (Tunga's assistant), Paulo Sérgio Duarte (curator and art critic), Waltercio Caldas (artist), Gonçalo Mello Mourão (Tunga's brother) and Lia Rodrigues (dancer and choreographer) discuss topics such as who Tunga was, the energy of the conjunction, his inspirations, his creative process, and the variety of supports and materials in his work.
"This exhibition has an almost complete scope of Tunga's work. I say 'almost' because, in the last decades, he did works that he called 'instaurações' (establishments); they were ephemeral and demanded his presence. But it is undoubtedly the largest and most complete," says the curator. "It's a unique opportunity to see all your work at once. It will probably take a long time to gather so many works from institutions and collections," he adds.
