Mail Art's Brazilian Legacy and Vernacular Architecture Explored in São Paulo Exhibitions

Ray Johnson and the New York Correspondance School pioneered mail art in the 1950s as a movement against bourgeois values, utilizing envelopes and packages. In Brazil during the 1960s, this art form thrived, with notable contributions from artists like Paulo Bruscky and Falves Silva. The 1981 São Paulo Biennial, overseen by curator Walter Zanini, honored this artistic trend. Gustavo Nóbrega from Galeria Superfície emphasizes its anti-market spirit and identifies the Northeast as its forefront. His exhibition, "Novos Meios e Conceitualismo nos anos 70," showcases works by Avelino de Araújo, Edgar Antonio Vigo, and Pat Larter. Meanwhile, Galeria Galatea Salvador and Nara Roesler are featuring "Barracas e fachadas do nordeste," curated by Tomás Toledo and Alana Silveira, highlighting artists who investigate Northeast Brazil's architecture.