Tropicália Exhibition at Barbican Centre Explores Brazilian Cultural Revolution
From February 16 to May 21, 2006, the Barbican Centre in London presented 'Tropicália: A Revolution in Brazilian Culture,' under the curation of Carlos Basualdo. This exhibition delved into the Tropicália movement of late 1960s Brazil, showcasing pieces from the 1967 'Nova Objetividade Brasileira' exhibition by artists such as Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Clark, Antonio Dias, and Lygia Pape, alongside contemporary figures like Marepe and Ernesto Neto. Andrade Morettin's scenography represented themes of democratization. The exhibition previously toured the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (October 2005–January 2006), Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon (July–September 2006), and the Bronx Museum in New York (October 2006–January 2007). Basualdo highlighted the movement's cultural involvement rather than its direct challenge to capitalism.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Tropicália: A Revolution in Brazilian Culture' at Barbican Centre, London, from February 16 to May 21, 2006.
- Curated by Carlos Basualdo.
- Explored the interdisciplinary Tropicália movement from late 1960s Brazil.
- Included historical works from the 1967 'Nova Objetividade Brasileira' exhibition at MAM Rio.
- Featured artists: Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Clark, Antonio Dias, Lygia Pape, and contemporary artists Marepe, Ernesto Neto, Rivane Neuenschwander, Matthew Antezzo, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Arto Lindsay, +2.
- Scenography by Andrade Morettin architects from São Paulo.
- Exhibition traveled from MCA Chicago (Oct 2005–Jan 2006) to Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon (Jul–Sep 2006) and Bronx Museum, New York (Oct 2006–Jan 2007).
- Tropicália was catalyzed by Hélio Oiticica, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, José Celso Martinez Corrêa, and Glauber Rocha.
- Concept of anthropophagy from Oswald de Andrade's 1928 'Manifesto Antropófago' was central.
- Music permeated the exhibition, including Arto Lindsay's soundtrack for 'Bahia Desorientada' and +2's installation 'Alegria, Vai Lá Joy, Go On'.
Entities
Artists
- Hélio Oiticica
- Caetano Veloso
- Gilberto Gil
- José Celso Martinez Corrêa
- Glauber Rocha
- Lygia Clark
- Antonio Dias
- Lygia Pape
- Marepe
- Ernesto Neto
- Rivane Neuenschwander
- Matthew Antezzo
- Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster
- Arto Lindsay
- Oswald de Andrade
- Haroldo de Campos
- Augusto de Campos
- Tarsila do Amaral
- Roberto Carlos
- Cara-de-Cavalo
- Audrey Illouz
- Carlos Basualdo
Institutions
- Barbican Centre
- Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
- Centro Cultural de Belém
- Bronx Museum
- Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio)
- Teatro Oficina
- Whitechapel Art Gallery
- TV Record
- TV Globo
- artpress
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Chicago
- United States
- Lisbon
- Portugal
- New York
- Rio de Janeiro
- Brazil
- São Paulo
- Bahia
- Mangueira
Sources
- artpress —