Augusto de Campos Opens New Exhibition Criticizing Brazil's Political Climate

At 88, poet and visual artist Augusto de Campos presents 'Poemas e Contrapoemas' at Luciana Brito Galeria from March 30, combining historical and recent works to draw parallels between Brazil's military dictatorship and current political conditions. The exhibition includes pieces like LUXO (1965) and the new CLÁUSULA PÉTREA (2018), which transcribes a constitutional article about presumption of innocence, directly referencing former president Lula's imprisonment. De Campos, a co-founder of concrete poetry in the 1950s with Haroldo de Campos and Décio Pignatari, describes the current moment as 'deplorable,' citing a rightward shift and mediocrity exceeding even dictatorship-era standards. He specifically criticizes the admiration for Donald Trump by Brazilian leaders. The show features works on paper, canvas, and vinyl, blending political critique with other themes. This marks his second solo at Luciana Brito Galeria, following his 2017 debut, and reflects his growing recognition in visual arts after decades in literature, highlighted by the 2016 retrospective REVER at Sesc Pompeia.