Ernesto Neto's Indigenous Project at Pinacoteca de São Paulo

Ernesto Neto's exhibition 'Sopro' at Pinacoteca de São Paulo runs from March 30 to July 15, presenting his 'indigenization of life' project. The show includes participatory activations in an octagonal installation on June 1, June 29, and July 13. Neto's work connects to Hélio Oiticica's collective experiences and Lygia Clark's bodily activations from the 1960s and 1970s. Since 2013, Neto has engaged with the Huni Kuin people in Acre, incorporating their rituals into his exhibitions, including at the Venice Biennale two years ago. The exhibition features a large trunk 'that needs to be healed' being swallowed by a massive pendant. Anthropologist Els Lagrou describes this as an 'Amerindian relational aesthetic' in the show's catalog. Neto's wall text states: 'We are children of three continents, but we know only one, we are taught only one, we value only one.' The artist advocates listening to 'the spirituality of our land, our plants, rivers and trees.' His practice emphasizes relationality between human and non-human beings, using scents and tactile materials to foster encounters. The exhibition's plastic forms from the 1980s to early 2000s showcase organic structures. Neto's indigenous project politicizes his earlier discreet approaches, positioning him as a contemporary shaman.