The São Paulo Pinacoteca presents an anthology of the work of Ana Maria Tavares
More than 160 artworks, produced by the artist, bring us from her first solo show in 1982, held at the Pinacoteca, to the present.
Opening Saturday, November 19, 2016 at 11 a.m. | Closing April 10, 2017
After almost 35 years since her first solo show, held at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo. Ana Maria Tavares returns to present “No lugar mesmo: uma antologia de Ana Maria Tavares”. (At The Very Place: An Anthology by Ana Maria Tavares). The exhibit opens on November 19 and covers seven rooms of the Luz building’s first floor, going through the spaces of the octagon, the lobby and hallways of that floor. Sponsored by Itaú, Companhia Paulista de Parcerias (CPP) and Alexandre Birman and with the support of Abividro and Cebrace, the exhibit brings together more than 160 pieces which, according to the curator, Fernanda Pitta, rearticulate fundamental elements of the artist’s production from 1982 to the present.
Parting from artwork by Ana Maria, which belongs to the Pinacoteca’s collection (Bico de Diamante, 1990), the exhibit has been assembled as an elucidation of a considerable selection of works produced in her trajectory and exhibited without chronological consideration. This body of work offers considerations about the development of the artist’s research, and the diverse concepts and issues traced in her production. A series of works that deals with space and surface, ornament and function, industry and craft, word and image, guided by key concepts present in Ana Maria Tavares’ production, such as: suspension, mobility, displacement, mirroring, rotation and labyrinth, all rooted in a critical perspective of modern architecture. “The show looks at how Ana Maria’s work is installed, here and now, in the spaces of the Pinacoteca. It re-articulates the place and the history of the museum and Ana Maria’s own artistic production in a retrospective movement, which reinvents and re-elaborates both trajectories” explains Pitta.
This anthology also includes other important works such as Exit, Parede Niemeyer (Niemeyer Wall) and Tapetes pretos para paredes brancas (Black carpets for white walls), work included in the 1982 solo show. Pieces from the series of sculptural objects and works that offer a critical dialogue about the importance of the modern experience in Brazil, such as Purus e Negros (2014), will also be included in the show.
Artworks such as Enigmas de uma Noite com Midnight Daydreams, Desviantes, Mantras and Dominós trace a parallel with the contemporary experience. The work titled Parede Loos, activates the halls with black stripes that seem reminiscent of Ariadne’s thread. A site-specific work made up of lateral mirrors covering the sides of the octagon from floor to ceiling will be included as well.
“The exhibit itself is also a large intervention into the architecture and the history of the museum done by the artist” adds Pitta. It is important to mention that this anthology is part of the cycle of shows dedicated to review the careers of artists who have begun their trajectories in the Brazilian scene during the decade of 1980. The Pinacoteca has already dedicated exhibits to Leda Catunda, Jac Leirner, Nuno Ramos, Beatriz Milhazes and Nelson Félix.
For 2017, the Pinacoteca plans the publication of a bilingual catalogue (English-Portuguese), which will include an unedited critical text, essays, an interview with the artist and exhibit photographs as well as testimonials of Brazilian artists who explain how Ana Maria has influenced their work.
“No lugar mesmo: uma antologia de Ana Maria Tavares” will be open until April 10, 2017 at the Pinacoteca (first floor) – Praça da Luz, 2. Visits: Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. – the public may remain until 6 p.m. Tickets are R$ 6 (full) and R$ 3 (half). Children under 10 and adults over 60 have free access. Saturdays is free to all visitors. The Pinacoteca of São Paulo is located across the Luz metro station and the CPTM. Parking is free. pinacoteca.org.br - (11) 3324-1000
Ana Maria Tavares began her studies in art at the Escola de Belas Artes da UFMG and continued at FAAP when she moved to São Paulo, under the mentorship of Regina Silveira and Julio Plaza. Two years after the show at the Pinacoteca, the artist began her Master Degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she lived and continued to exhibit until 1986. In the mid 1990’s, Tavares’ sculptures would move on to larger scales, always referencing every day objects such as ladders and tourniquet entrances, and spaces such as airport lounges. During that period, her frequent use of stainless steel has placed her work at the crossway between art and design. In 2000 she began her doctorate at Universidade de São Paulo (USP), where she continues to do research and teach. Her dialogue with architecture has become another important aspect of her most recent production, as she also uses video images that are part of larger scale installations.
For more information please contact the gallery at info@sicardi.com or by calling 713.529.1313.