Lina Bo Bardi
Isabela Capeto
Lygia Clark
Rogerio Degaki
Ronaldo Fraga
Lucia Koch
Andre Komatsu
Leonilson
Marepe
Cildo Meireles
Beatriz Milhazes
Vik Muniz
Jum Nakao
Ernesto Neto
Rivane Neuenschwander
Ruy Ohtake
Tomie Ohtake
Helio Oiticica
osgemeos
Lygia Pape
Mira Schendel
Ana Maria Tavares
Erika Verzutti
Yuko Hasegawa
Contemporary brazilian art, 1960s to the present. This exhibition, organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, features Brazil's creative vitality through the works of artists, fashion designers and architects. It highlights artists and creators who were part of, or inspired by Tropicalia, an artistic movement which arose in Brazil during the 1960s around the originality of the culture of people who live in the tropics. On show Beatriz Milhazes, Vik Muniz, Jum Nakao, Ernesto Neto, Rivane Neuenschwander, Ruy Ohtake and many others. Curated by Yuko Hasegawa
curated by Yuko Hasegawa
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) celebrates Brazil’s
creative vitality through the works of artists, fashion designers and architects with the new exhibition
When Lives Become Form: Contemporary Brazilian Art, 1960s to the present (Nov 5, 2009-Jan 31,
2010). The exhibition highlights artists and creators who were part of, or inspired by, ―Tropicália— an
artistic movement which arose in Brazil during the 1960s around the ― originality of the culture of
people who live in the tropics. Tropicália sought to escape the shadow of the European and US art
world and create a uniquely Brazilian art culture.
―Tropicália represents a moment in Brazilian art exemplary for its Latin American modernity that
subsequently influenced generations of artists including several notable Japanese Brazilians. When
Lives Become Form, organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, captures this unique
intersection of Latin American and Asian cultures which also takes place in California. The powerful
work featured in the exhibition will hopefully delight audiences with its fresh and colorful aesthetic as
well as offer them new perspectives on artistic production in a global context, says Betti-Sue Hertz,
YBCA Director of Visual Arts.
Tropicália’s central figure is Hélio Oiticica who characterized the movement with his phrase, ―Being
alive is art itself, which referred to the juxtaposition of Brazil’s thriving cultural scene during the mid-
60s alongside the country’s repressive political environment. As a political statement, artists such as
Oiticica, Lygia Clark, and Lygia Pape, challenged artistic norms by combining representations of the
necessities of everyday life with the dynamism of the megacities and the natural world. Their art
focused on ways to make passive viewers into active participants in the world around them.
As with many artistic ideas that are alive and vital, subsequent generations internalize and
individualize them in response to the conditions of their own lives. When Lives Become Form brings
together five decades of work by cultural producers who have embraced the spirit of Tropicália’s
original ideas. Highlights of the exhibition include sketches and documentation of Lina Bo Bardi’s
architectural inventions; the presentation of one of Oiticica’s 1973 Cosmococa lounge spaces; Lygia
Pape’s Wheel of Delights featuring porcelain bowls filled with brightly colored water which can be
tasted by Gallery visitors; Beatriz Milhazes’s mural-sized colorful floral-inspired geometric design on
the exterior glass wall of YBCA’s Grand Lobby; a large sculpture by Ernesto Neto hanging from the
Grand Lobby ceiling; and a beautiful and compelling grouping of varied works by Marepe, including
an installation of umbrellas and fruit baskets. The survey also includes several Brazilian-Japanese
artists and creators including the legendary painter Tomie Ohtake, younger artists such as Rogério
Degaki, and the fashion designer Jum Nakao.
When Lives Become Form includes works by: assume vivid astro focus, Lina Bo Bardi, Isabela
Capeto, Lygia Clark, Rogério Degaki, Ronaldo Fraga, Lucia Koch, André Komatsu, Leonilson,
Marepe, Cildo Meireles, Beatriz Milhazes, Vik Muniz, Jum Nakao, Ernesto Neto, Rivane
Neuenschwander, Ruy Ohtake, Tomie Ohtake, Hélio Oiticica, Os Gemeos, Lygia Pape, Mira
Schendel, Ana Maria Tavares and Erika Verzutti.
A lecture by Curator Yuko Hasegawa, chief curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, takes
place on FREE First Tuesday, Nov 3, from 6-8 pm in YBCA’s Screening Room.
A guided tour with Director of Visual Arts Betti-Sue Hertz takes place on Thu, Nov 19 at 6 pm and is
FREE w/ gallery admission.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), located in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena cultural district, is
one of the nation’s leading multidisciplinary contemporary arts centers. With a belief that
contemporary art is at the heart of community life, YBCA brings audiences and artists of all
backgrounds together to express and experience creativity. The organization is known for nurturing
emerging artists at the forefront of their fields and presenting works that blend art forms and explore
the events and ideas of our time. As part of its commitment to the San Francisco Bay Area, YBCA
supports the local arts community and reflects the region’s diversity of people and thought through its
arts and public programming.
Image: Marepe, Untitled
Press contact:
Kimberly Kuni Harding Phone: 415.321.1307 Email kharding@ybca.org
Opening Night Party: Wed, Nov 4, 2009, 8-11 pm
$12 in advance//$15 at the door//Free for YBCA Members and a guest
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, First Floor and Terrace Galleries
701 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
Gallery Hours: Thurs-Fri 2:00pm – 8:00pm; Sat 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm; Sunday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm;
and closed Mon-Weds except Free First Tuesday:12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Admission $7 regular; $5 students, seniors & teachers//Free for YBCA Members//Free First Tuesday