Cildo Meireles
Encyclopedia
Cildo Meireles is a Brazil
ian conceptual art
ist, installation artist and sculptor. He is noted especially for his installations, many of which express resistance to political oppression in Brazil. These works, often large and dense, encourage the viewer's interaction.
in 1948. His father worked for the Indian Protection Service and their family travelled extensively within rural Brazil. During this time Meireles learned the beliefs of the Tupi people which he later incorporated into some of his works.
Meireles began his study of art in 1963 at the District Federal Cultural Foundation in Brasilia
, under the Peruvian painter and ceramist Felix Barrenechea. In 1967 he moved to Rio de Janeiro and studied at the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes
.
Following the military coup in 1964, Meireles became involved in political art. In 1970 he developed a political art project which aimed to reach a wide audience while avoiding censorship
called Insertions Into Ideological Circuits. This was achieved by printing images and messages onto various items that were already widely circulated and which had value discouraging them being destroyed, such as banknotes and Coca-Cola
bottles (which were recycled by way of a deposit scheme). This continued until 1976. Meireles also used money as a theme in other ways and produced his own replica banknotes and coins (1974–1978) which appeared very similar to genuine Brazilian and US currency but with zero denominations clearly written on them, e.g. Zero Dollar.
He was one of the founders of the Experimental Unit of the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro in 1969 and in 1975, edited the art magazine Malasartes.
In 2008 he won the Velazquez Plastic Arts Award, presented by the Ministry of Culture of Spain.
Meireles currently lives and works in Rio de Janeiro.
in the Bible.
in New York in 1999 and then travelled to the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro and the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art
. In conjunction with the exhibition, a book entitled Cildo Meireles, was published by Phaidon Press
(1999).
The first extensive presentation of the artist’s work in the UK opened at Tate Modern
in October 2008. Meireles was the first Brazilian artist to be given a full retrospective by Tate
. This exhibition then moved to the Museu d'Art Contemporani in Barcelona, and later to the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC) in Mexico City until January 10, 2010.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian conceptual art
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
ist, installation artist and sculptor. He is noted especially for his installations, many of which express resistance to political oppression in Brazil. These works, often large and dense, encourage the viewer's interaction.
Life
Cildo Meireles was born in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in 1948. His father worked for the Indian Protection Service and their family travelled extensively within rural Brazil. During this time Meireles learned the beliefs of the Tupi people which he later incorporated into some of his works.
Meireles began his study of art in 1963 at the District Federal Cultural Foundation in Brasilia
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
, under the Peruvian painter and ceramist Felix Barrenechea. In 1967 he moved to Rio de Janeiro and studied at the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes
Escola Nacional de Belas Artes
Escola de Belas Artes is one of the centers of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and dates back to colonial times....
.
Following the military coup in 1964, Meireles became involved in political art. In 1970 he developed a political art project which aimed to reach a wide audience while avoiding censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
called Insertions Into Ideological Circuits. This was achieved by printing images and messages onto various items that were already widely circulated and which had value discouraging them being destroyed, such as banknotes and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
bottles (which were recycled by way of a deposit scheme). This continued until 1976. Meireles also used money as a theme in other ways and produced his own replica banknotes and coins (1974–1978) which appeared very similar to genuine Brazilian and US currency but with zero denominations clearly written on them, e.g. Zero Dollar.
He was one of the founders of the Experimental Unit of the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro in 1969 and in 1975, edited the art magazine Malasartes.
In 2008 he won the Velazquez Plastic Arts Award, presented by the Ministry of Culture of Spain.
Meireles currently lives and works in Rio de Janeiro.
Key Works
Large scale works include pieces entitled Red Shift (1967–84), a three-room exploration of an entirely red environment; Through (1983-9), a labyrinthine structure which invites the visitor to walk across plates of broken glass; and Babel (2001), which is a tower of radios, each just audible and tuned to a different station to evoke resonances of the Tower of BabelTower of Babel
The Tower of Babel , according to the Book of Genesis, was an enormous tower built in the plain of Shinar .According to the biblical account, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar, where...
in the Bible.
Exhibitions
A retrospective of his work was presented at the New Museum of Contemporary ArtNew Museum of Contemporary Art
The New Museum, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is the only museum in New York City exclusively devoted to presenting contemporary art from around the world...
in New York in 1999 and then travelled to the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro and the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art
São Paulo Museum of Modern Art
The São Paulo Museum of Modern Art, , is located in Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo....
. In conjunction with the exhibition, a book entitled Cildo Meireles, was published by Phaidon Press
Phaidon Press
Phaidon Press is a British publisher of books on the visual arts, including art, architecture, photography, and design worldwide.As of 2009, Phaidon's headquarters are in London, UK, though they were in Oxford for many years, with offices in New York City, Paris, Berlin, Milan, and Tokyo...
(1999).
The first extensive presentation of the artist’s work in the UK opened at Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
in October 2008. Meireles was the first Brazilian artist to be given a full retrospective by Tate
Tate
-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
. This exhibition then moved to the Museu d'Art Contemporani in Barcelona, and later to the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC) in Mexico City until January 10, 2010.
Selected bibliography
- Zamudio, Raul. "Cildo Meireles at Tate Modern." ArtNexus v. 8. no. 73 (June/August, 2009) p. 76-78.
- Gilmore, Jonathan. "Cildo Meireles at Galerie Lelong." Art in America v. 93 no. 3 (March 2005) p. 132.
- Weinstein, Joel. "Industrial Poetry: A Conversation with Cildo Meireles." Sculpture v. 22 no. 10 (December 2003) p. 50-5.
- Cohen, Ana Paula. "Cildo Meireles: Museu de Arte Moderna Aloisio Magalhaes." Art Nexus no. 44 (April/June 2002) p. 125-6.
- Zamudio, Raul. "Knowing Can Be Destroying." TRANS> arts.cultures.media no. 7 (2000) p. 146-152.
- Carvalho, Denise. "Cildo Meireles: New Museum of Contemporary Art." Sculpture v. 19 no. 10 (December 2000) p. 74-5.
- Farmer, John Alan. "Through the Labyrinth: An Interview with Cildo Meireles." Art Journal v. 59 no. 3 (Fall 2000) p. 34-43
- Basualdo, Carlos. "Maxima Moralia: The Work of C. Meireles." Artforum International v. 35 (February 1997) p. 58-63
- Mosquera, Gerardo. Cildo Meireles. London : Phaidon, 1999.
External links
- Knowing Can Be Destroying Critical Essay
- Review of Cildo Meireles at Tate Modern, 2009
- List of exhibitions by Cildo Meireles (covers 1967-2007)
- TateShots: Cildo Meireles The artist talks about his interactive work Meshes of Freedom. 20 November 2008