Brazilian Artists' Appropriation Strategies (1980-2000)
From the 1980s onward, a generation of Brazilian artists turned away from painting to experiment with hybrid forms, incorporating industrial residues, street finds, household items, textile scraps, toys, and technological devices. Unlike the 1970s conceptual generation that used non-artistic objects to question art's definition, these artists pursued an aesthetics of hybridization, joining materials from multiple origins non-hierarchically with humor, irony, and irreverence, sometimes referencing kitsch. Their goal was not direct critique of consumerism but to produce new meanings and question representation in visual culture. This approach, inspired by Marcel Duchamp's readymades, expanded the repertoire of Brazilian contemporary art by legitimizing diverse elements and affirming creative freedom. The practices started in the 1980s and continued into subsequent decades.
Key facts
- Artists from the 1980s generation experimented with new languages and unusual elements.
- They did not form a homogeneous or organized movement.
- Their work resulted in sculptures, installations, and hybrid works.
- Many used strategies related to Marcel Duchamp's readymades.
- Materials included industrial residues, street items, household utensils, textile scraps, toys, and technological devices.
- The 1970s conceptual generation used non-artistic objects to question art's definition.
- The new generation was interested in aesthetics of hybridization with non-hierarchical material joining.
- Their approach used humor, irony, and irreverence, sometimes referencing kitsch.
Entities
Artists
- Marcel Duchamp
Locations
- Brazil
Sources
- MAM Rio —