Brazil in the Bronx
Museum's New Wing Premieres with Tropicália
by Jessica Ferrer
Issue date: 11/1/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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![Zé Carioca e Amigos (Campeão de futebol) [Zé Carioca and Friends (Soccer Champion)], 2005<br>by Rivane Neuenschwander (Brazilian, b. 1967)](http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper806/stills/9041r62x.jpg)
The title of the exhibition was drawn from an installation created by the artist Helio Oiticica in 1967 and from a Brazilian music album that became one of the most celebrated albums in Brazilian music. According to the museum "Tropicália: A Revolution in Brazilian Culture revisits this seminal time in Brazil and its relation to the increasingly urban and dictatorial political landscape".
Of the many works, five stood out. Artist Antonio Dias, born in Campina Grande, Brazil in 1944, had a few beautiful pieces, such as O Meu Retrato (My Portrait), 1967. O Meu Retrato was created from acrylic on screen, painted wood, wire and fabric.
"I don't know what this means, it's weird, but I like it, I like weird," said Eric Slifkin, another visitor at the museum. Many works were captivating and puzzling. Particularly mystifying was Antonio Dias. In a mixture of colors; red, black and white, it looked as though there were figures, a heart and black clouds. It seems he had a confusing life, judging by the title, "my portrait."
Nota Sobre a Morte Imprevista (Note on the Unforeseen Death) 1965, another piece by Dias, was made with acrylic on wood, fabric, Plexiglas and agglomerate (Duratex). In a statement made by the artist, the work openly criticizes the violence perpetrated by Brazil's military dictatorship and serves as a memorial to those who died in the 1945 nuclear bombing of Hiroshima during WWII. Dias added a sculptural element, a sinuous shape that creates the illusion of seeping blood.
Further exploring the exhibit, an amazing piece came into view. Tropicália, 1967 by the artist Helio Oiticica, born in Rio de Janiero, Brazil in 1937, is made of four painted wooden panels mounted on a wooden structure, a door, glass and sand, plastic accessories, fabric, agglomerate (Duratex) and a television set. The artist states that this piece was inspired by the organic architecture of Rio's favelas or shantytowns. Oiticica's Penetrables were fabricated from scrapes of wood and sheets of fabric and situated in a tropical scene with plants, sand and live parrots. You get to experience Tropicália literally, by stepping into it. Shoes must be removed in order to walk onto the sand but it's well worth it.
A final, outstanding piece is by Lygia Pape, born in Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janiero in 1927. The piece is titled Roda dos Prazeres (Wheel of Delights),1968, and was made by using porcelain, aniline dyes, flavors and droppers. Pape offers viewers an opportunity to use both their sense of sight and taste to fully experience this work. This piece was very colorful, with orange, blue, red, yellow and green colored liquids in porcelain bowls arranged in a circle. Viewers could actually taste the liquids using droppers. Unfortunately, droppers are not always available (possibly because it was an exhibition copy).
William DeFilippis, a Lehman junior majoring in sculpture, commented on Bardi's three wooden pieces. "I like how they were built, using seemingly natural materials like wood shavings and sand. I like that the drawings were presented with the models because it takes you through the whole creative process." The pieces were called Model for llamambuca, complex, 2005; Model for Valeria Cirell House, 2005 and Model for Mossa Senhora dos Anjos Chapel, 2005; made with wood, representing a realistic but miniature complex, house and chapel in historic Brazil.
Another visitor, Shaun Johnson, concluded, "I'm trying to understand how it's more specific to Brazil, I see it as a larger part of a movement of the 60s."
Tropicália is a very interesting exhibit, but if you lack knowledge of Brazil's past this exhibit might leave you wondering. A small amount of research on Brazil's political history might lead to a better understanding these artists' works.
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