Hélio Oiticica (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 1937-1980)
One of the most influential figures in Brazilian art of the second half of the 20th century; Hélio Oiticica began his career as a painter, developing progressively to a more ephemeral, dynamic and performance-based work, which culminated in the creation of large-scale installations. His intensive artistic production was constantly accompanied by prolific and extremely sharp reflection about the paths of contemporary art. Mentored by Ivan Serpa, he took an active role in the concretist adventure as a member of the Grupo Frente (1955-56), but by the end of the decade he had joined the Grupo Neoconcreto (1959) and felt the need to free himself from two-dimensional restrictions, moving on to create more radically sensory and interactive work. Thus the series Relevos e Núcleos espaciais (Spatial Reliefs and Nuclei) was born, the first steps of an investigation into colour and space that would result in the creation of the Bólides and, especially, the Pentráveis (Penetrables), large-scale installation that would lead to the artist being invited to exhibit at the Whitechapel, in London (in the famous Eden exhibition of 1969). Controversial and irreverent, Oiticica always defended the poetic and ethical value of marginalized forms of life (be a marginal, be a hero), which was translated into pulsating works, such as the Parangolés, probably the most direct and concise example of the artist’s aspiration to merge art and life.
One of the most influential figures in Brazilian art of the second half of the 20th century; Hélio Oiticica began his career as a painter, developing progressively to a more ephemeral, dynamic and performance-based work, which culminated in the creation of large-scale installations. His intensive artistic production was constantly accompanied by prolific and extremely sharp reflection about the paths of contemporary art. Mentored by Ivan Serpa, he took an active role in the concretist adventure as a member of the Grupo Frente (1955-56), but by the end of the decade he had joined the Grupo Neoconcreto (1959) and felt the need to free himself from two-dimensional restrictions, moving on to create more radically sensory and interactive work. Thus the series Relevos e Núcleos espaciais (Spatial Reliefs and Nuclei) was born, the first steps of an investigation into colour and space that would result in the creation of the Bólides and, especially, the Pentráveis (Penetrables), large-scale installation that would lead to the artist being invited to exhibit at the Whitechapel, in London (in the famous Eden exhibition of 1969). Controversial and irreverent, Oiticica always defended the poetic and ethical value of marginalized forms of life (be a marginal, be a hero), which was translated into pulsating works, such as the Parangolés, probably the most direct and concise example of the artist’s aspiration to merge art and life.
