ART CITIES:Rio de Janeiro-Beatriz Milhazes
Beatriz Milhazes is well known for her colorful, kaleidoscopic collages, prints, paintings and installations which draw on both Latin American cultural imagery and Western Modernist painting. The tension in Milhazes’ work is not only between figuration and abstraction, but also between the global and local influences that merge in her work.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Carpintaria Archive
A painter par excellence, Beatriz Milhazes has recently come to investigate the possibilities and challenges of sculpture. The result of this process initiated in 2010 can be seen in the exhibition “Marola, Mariola and Marilola” at Carpintaria, Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel’s new space in Rio de Janeiro. There are three large tri-dimensional works, whilst in harmony with her paintings, prints and collages, they propose a novel and riveting perceptive element. Her characteristic motifs such as: circle, flower and the arabesque, fill up the room, establishing a new type of corporeal, physical relationship among them. This relationship is also determined by precise intervals among the elements as well as by the viewer’s perspective. Depending on the angle the pieces are being observed, a different work emerges, as well as a concrete experience, in which the body of the sculpture is interrelated to that of the viewer’s. The three sculptures are large pieces, ranging between 2.26 to 2.89 meters high, interacting differently with the space, either by enhancing the body of the work or acting as a divider, such as Mariola which is less than half a meter thick, almost like a curtain. The titles, as it usually occurs in Milhazes’ works, are interesting reading keys. Not only do they promote the connection among the pieces, but they also reaffirm the importance of rhythm, sonority and a Brazilian essence in her work. The first and largest of them, which according to the artist still presents a close connection with the concept of mobile, refers to ripples on the sea, to the notion of a constant and seductive movement. Mariola, a popular sweet from Northeast Brazil, also echoes the vernacular culture so appreciated by the artist, whereas Marilola plays with sonority, a playful word game, a procedure resembling the spatial game she creates from the association of different materials and colors. It all began with a stage setting Beatriz created for her sister’s dance show, the choreographer Márcia Milhazes, in 2004. By designing a type of chandelier for center stage, she abandoned the idea of working with panels, which had ruled her previous scenographic works, and takes on a tridimensional challenge that would become increasingly sharp.
Info: Carpintaria, Rua Jardim Botânico 97,Rio de Janeiro, Duration: 20/5-15/7/17, Days & Hours: Tue-Fri 10:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-18:00, http://fdag.com.br
