Regina Vater reflects on 1968 Brazil: Tropicália, political violence, and artistic response

In 1968, Regina Vater, a 25-year-old artist inspired by the Tropicália movement in Rio de Janeiro, crafted a cover for Caetano Veloso's album 'Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis,' although it was ultimately substituted with a photograph. This movement marked a shift from bossa nova, drawing on urban sounds and natural landscapes. After the police murder of student Edson Luís de Lima Souto, Vater created his portrait, which appeared in Jornal do Brasil. She was involved in the 'Passeata dos Cem Mil' protests, where she observed student leader Vladimir Palmeira. In 1969, during the regime of dictator Emílio Garrastazu Médici, she designed a beach installation at Copacabana. After receiving an award, she relocated to New York, returning to Brazil in 2011, and remarked that the current political atmosphere feels more ominous than during the dictatorship.