Carnegie Museum of Art hosts the first US retrospective of the influential Hélio Oiticica

3 Oct 2016, 9:35 am

The first comprehensive US retrospective of the influential Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica (1937-1980) is on display at The Carnegie Museum of Art (CMOA).

The exhibition moves from the artist’s two-dimensional works, including Metaesquemas, to immersive and interective enviroments like his Penetrables, colorful structures inspired by makeshift dwellings in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro that can be traversed by viewers, and his Parangolés, works in fabric that can be carried or worn, were originally made for the samba dancers in the Mangueira hill.

The poetic or political messages that they often carry, buried within their layers of cloth, could be read only when the dancer was in motion. In addition to original works on display, exhibition copies invite visitors to wear and manipulate the artist’s interactive works.

The massive installation Eden, installed in the Hall of Sculpture at the heart of the museum, is Oiticica’s most ambitious work, in which the artist includes spaces designed to engage the senses and promote creative thought, tents for sleeping or listening to music, and beds filled with straw for relaxation or light reading. Because of its size, it is rarely presented.

Co-organized by CMOA, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, Hélio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium stays in Pittsburgh until January 2, 2017. Get more information at the museum’s website here.