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Otávio Roth's Monumental Tree Installation Opens Human Rights Exhibition at Sesc Bom Retiro

exhibition · 2026-04-23

The exhibition titled 'Para Respirar Liberdade-70 Anos da Declaração dos Direitos Humanos' by Otávio Roth is set to debut at Sesc Bom Retiro in São Paulo. It showcases a tree installation spanning 400 square meters, crafted by architect Pedro Mendes da Rocha. Over a two-month period, 70,000 students from various schools participated in this project. Roth, who passed away at the age of 42, dedicated his work to social art following the 1975 assassination of journalist Vladimir Herzog. He lived in several countries and was the first to create an illustrated series of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in woodcut, which the UN adopted in 1981. The installation, curated by Fábio Magalhães and Isabel Roth, includes thousands of paper leaves and pays homage to other politically active Brazilian artists. Details about participants will be available throughout the exhibition.

Key facts

  • Otávio Roth's 400 sqm tree installation opens 'Para Respirar Liberdade' exhibition at Sesc Bom Retiro.
  • The work involved 70,000 young people in a two-month collaborative workshop.
  • Roth's artistic focus shifted to human rights after Vladimir Herzog's 1975 murder.
  • He created the first illustrated Universal Declaration of Human Rights series in Oslo.
  • The UN adopted his English version in 1981 for display in Geneva, Vienna, and New York.
  • The exhibition is curated by Fábio Magalhães and Isabel Roth, with design by Pedro Mendes da Rocha.
  • Roth founded Brazil's first handmade paper workshop, Handmade, in 1979.
  • The artist died at age 42 after living and working in Israel, England, Norway, and the United States.

Entities

Artists

  • Otávio Roth
  • Vladimir Herzog
  • Fábio Magalhães
  • Isabel Roth
  • Pedro Mendes da Rocha
  • Di Cavalcanti
  • Portinari
  • Cildo Meireles
  • Antonio Henrique Amaral
  • Ben Shan
  • Robert Rauschenberg
  • Charles Chaplin
  • Che Guevara
  • Santo Agostino
  • Carlos Marighela

Institutions

  • Sesc Bom Retiro
  • DOI-Codi
  • United Nations (UN)
  • Handmade
  • Instituto de Pesquisa Tecnológica (IPT)
  • Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP)
  • Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM)
  • Comitê Brasileiro de Anistia

Locations

  • São Paulo
  • Brazil
  • Israel
  • England
  • Norway
  • United States
  • Oslo
  • Geneva
  • Vienna
  • New York

Sources