Hélio Oiticica

About

Lisson Gallery is delighted to present the first survey of Hélio Oiticica’s work in London in 15 years. Featuring painted compositions, three-dimensional works, film and an environmental structure that invites viewer participation, the exhibition illustrates the extraordinary and enduring influence the Brazilian artist had on the development of international contemporary art. Working in collaboration with the artist’s Estate, the exhibition is curated by Ann Gallagher who led the curatorial team on the major Tate Modern presentation of Oiticica’s work, Helio Oiticica: The Body of Colour, in 2007, initiated by the Museum of Fine Art Houston in 2006.

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1937, Oiticica was one of the most innovative Brazilian artists of the 20th century. He produced an outstanding body of painting, participatory sculpture, architectural environments, films and writings from the mid 1950s until his untimely death in 1980. He gave name to a highly influential 1960s cultural movement in Brazil - incorporating art, music, theatre and literature - with his installation Tropicalia of 1966-67. This interactive environment was included in the artist’s ground-breaking exhibition, referred to by Oiticica as The Whitechapel Experiment, held in 1969 at London’s Whitechapel Gallery, curated by the late Guy Brett (1942-2001), then art critic for The Times newspaper, and co-founder of the now legendary London gallery for experimental international art, Signals (1964-66). The Whitechapel Experiment was the only large-scale exhibition devoted to the artist during his lifetime outside of Brazil. This focused on Oiticica’s work up to the time he spent in London, and a display of Tropicalia, editions of which are now part of the permanent collections of the Tate Collection, London; the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid; and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.