BmoreArt

Marta Minujín is known for her large-scale works, full of colors, shapes, and textures. She works with so many layers that you have to walk around, back and forth, to feel the work in its total extension. While her work necessitated a panoramic viewing experience, others invited a more intimate observation. Among these, Alex Červený (São Paulo, 1963) stands out.

It was no surprise to find myself immersed, for a long time, in a small canvas by Červený, who shares—through painting, engraving, drawing, and watercolor—a private world of information, distributed among words, characters, and dreamlike themes. I had already been amazed by his work shortly before, when I saw his solo exhibition at the Pinacoteca in São Paulo—a fantastic universe, in its most diverse interpretations of the word.

Lucas Arruda (São Paulo, 1983) also impressed me with his small-format landscapes. The soft use of colors and shadows draws the eye closer to the canvas; this is when the manual quality of his brushstrokes becomes even more evident and the formation of the image moves towards abstraction, inviting the viewer to become more in tune with the artist’s process.

Intimate, but in large formats, this is the second or third time I’ve seen Letícia Lopes (Campo Bom, 1988) exhibited at the fair. There’s also that sense of reality breaking down in her work, in which information sometimes overlaps, sometimes confuses. What remains is the constant idea that not everything seems to be true, just like a rabbit attached to a dog’s left thigh.

Moving on to the sculptures, Laura Lima (Governador Valadares, 1971)  stood out at the Galeria Luisa Strina stand. If it weren’t for the choice of metallic material, the blue itself would be enough to make you want to get closer. A suspended ingenuity, made up of everyday objects, occupied the space as if it were a real creature, strolling through the fair and sharing the same path as the visitors.

As highlight booths, Paulo Kuczynski Escritório de Arte presented a good selection of artworks by modern and contemporary Brazilian artists, such as Di Cavalcanti, Cícero Dias, Maria Leontina, Mira Schendel, Lygia Clark, and Ione Saldanha.

Saldana’s work from the same Bambus series was the centerpiece of the Abstractions gallery in the Central Pavilion of the Venice Biennale, tying together an exhibition of abstraction from the Global South. Kuczynski also showed touchstone international artists, such as Alex Calder, Cruz Diez, and Dan Flavin. The small blue environment formed by the fluorescent beams of Dan Flavin’s work, together with Luiz Sacilotto’s golden sculpture, caught the attention of the public, who constantly approached to take photographs.

Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel invested in a solo show with new works by Yuli Yamagata (São Paulo, 1989). It was impossible not to be attracted by the eccentric and multicolored forms she proposes in her sculptures and canvases (or “object paintings,” as the artist calls them). Mixing different fabrics, each work is easily recognizable as her own, even though they are all very unique. The sensation is of a journey from visual strangeness to admiration and tactile desire.

Among the international galleries taking part, I would like to highlight Papai Contemporary. Although unknown to me until then, the visit was a pleasant surprise. Located in Oslo, Papai Contemporary highlights Latin American and African artists based in Europe in dialogue with Scandinavian artistic production. Among the artists on show, Brazilian Lila de Magalhães (1986, Rio de Janeiro) and Norwegian Aksel Ree (Hamar, 1993) surprised with their imaginative authenticity, using traditional materials such as marble and canvas as support, but forming very original and admirable visual compositions.

The days of the fair are hectic, but they offer a valuable opportunity to renew ideas and perspectives, which reverberate beyond the works and galleries. In one place, we have access to a comprehensive and up-to-date view of the trends, themes, and techniques that permeate the art world, not just in Brazil. Participating in SP-Arte is also an opportunity to understand the complexity of the market, glimpse opportunities and contribute to the appreciation of the art scene, transcending the geographical barriers that traditionally characterize the western center of artistic production in the world.