Roberto Alban Gallery presents an unprecedented exhibition of the Barros family’s works in Brazil
Exhibition reunites works by Geraldo, Fabiana and Lenora de Barros, important names of the Brazilian contemporary art
Versatile artist par excellence respected in Brazil and abroad for his works of photography, design, painting, engraving and industrial design, among other languages, São Paulo-born Geraldo de Barros and his two daughters, Lenora and Fabiana, are an outstanding family in the contemporary art scene in Brazil. And it’s this family that from October 31st will occupy the Roberto Alban Gallery, in Ondina, presenting for the first time in the same space some of their most important works. The exhibition Em Forma de Família closes with honors the gallery’s program this year. World-known pioneer in abstract photography, founder of the concrete art movement and designer of great relevance, Geraldo de Barros (1923-1998) bridged the boundaries of the country and of the art produced in Brazil with conceptual irreverence and linguistic expertise in different artistic fields, especially the avant-garde and experimental ones. Present in Salvador’s exhibition, his famous Fotoformas, photos taken between 1946 and 1951, revolutionized Brazilian photography presenting images that could be linked both to Constructivism and Cubism, and also as poetry linked to Expressionism. From the reordering of elements the artist created a new composition where social and urban issues are always present, besides the restlessness in face of the relationship between art and society.
His last works, linked to the series Sobras with several new photos that will be presented at the exhibition in partnership with the Moreira Salles Institute (RJ), reveal an artist that has always challenged the boundaries between public and private. It’s proven in the UNILABOR furniture, with its refined and modular design, produced in accordance to revolutionary collectivist principles. It’s worth noting that some of Geraldo Barros’ works are part of the collections of different museums in the world, such as the MoMA in New York (USA).
Family interaction
The easiness with which the exhibition’s works interact is a testimony of the power of family bonds and the strength of art as a legacy to be passed down from generation to generation. Lenora de Barros herself admits that she inherited from her father her most performing side, which is a striking feature of her work. “He took photos of himself with hats, different clothes, he was passionate about noir cinema”, observes Lenora, internationally known visual artist and poet, who builds a work marked by the use of different languages: video, performance, photography, sound installation and object construction. In her work, the artist develops this performing side in the so called performance-photos, some built as photographic sequences that represent different characters.
Lenora’s first works can be placed in the field of ‘visual poetry’ from the concrete poetry movement of the 1950s. Words and images were her first materials. One of her most significant works, produced in 1979 with photographic register by her sister, Fabiana de Barros, is Poema. Part of the exhibition Em Forma de Família, it presents the artist touching the keys of a typewriter with her own tongue, a theme that reemerges in works such as Língua Vertebral (1998) and Linguagem (2008). Fabiana de Barros, who lives in Geneva (Switzerland), also identifies in her artistic work something in common with the vision Geraldo had of the social issue: “Like him, that dreamed of an egalitarian world, producing art to everyone, I’m concerned with establishing a direct relationship with the public, favoring human contact and the social context”, explains, observing that one of her most famous works, Fiteiro Cultural – a wooden kiosk open on the four sides, which works as a travelling cultural center – was created to meet the needs and aspirations of the community, and has been installed in different cities of the world.
Like her sister Lenora, Fabiana de Barros took the paths of contemporary art, using different multimedia resources – photos, videos, collage, internet. The interaction with others is the main axle of her work, which is translated in installations, interventions, public and virtual art, web art. In the cyberspace, Fabiana found the best conditions to get closer to her public, through websites and space for the visitors to manifest themselves, proposing trips to other cultures. In Brazil, she was more broadly recognized when participating in the 25th São Paulo Biennial, in 2002.
Exhibition: Em Forma de Família
Opening: October 21st 2019, at 8 :00pm
Hours: November 1st 2019 to January 11th 2020 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 7pm; Saturday, 10am to 1pm)
Venue: Roberto Alban Galeria
Address:Rua Senta Pua, 53, Ondina. Phone : + 55 71 3243-3982/ 3326-5633