Neide Sá's Political Poetics Resurface in Brazilian Exhibitions

The work of Rio-born artist Neide Sá, born in 1940, is currently featured in two major exhibitions in São Paulo: "Mulheres Radicais" at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo and "Arte-Veículo" at Sesc Pompeia. Her pieces, which recently concluded a solo show at Galeria Superfície, emphasize a connection to politics, poetry, and language, rooted in her role as a founder of the 1960s Poema-Processo movement. Gallery director Gustavo Nóbrega, who represents her, championed her inclusion in these significant shows. For "Mulheres Radicais," curators Andrea Giunta and Cecilia Fajardo sought her work "A Corda," which was eventually found in storage at the artist's home. This piece, composed of clothespins, newspaper clippings, and a rope, was publicly displayed during Brazil's military dictatorship for people to attach messages, leading to its repeated confiscation by police who did not know the artist's identity. Another key work, "Transparências" (1968), uses acrylic cubes with adhesive vinyl letters to form words like 'Guerra' and 'Paz,' embedding subversive messages that evaded regime censorship. Nóbrega notes Sá's significance as the only active woman in the avant-garde Poema-Processo group and her substantial, ongoing production. Her art employs semiotics and visual poetry to create an open dialogue with the viewer.