Concrete Matter at WARM

Artists: Bruno Baptistelli, Cristiano Lenhardt, Guto Requena, Janaina Wagner, Leonilson, Raquel Uendi

Exhibition title: Concrete Matter

Venue: WARM, São Paulo, Brazil

Date: July 29 – August 30, 2015

Photography: images copyright and courtesy of the artists and WARM, São Paulo

Il Grande Cretto, a sarcophagus built to restore hope and to maintain a tragedy alive, creates a tension between time and death over Gilbellina, a small town in Sicily destroyed by an earthquake in 1968.

Made by Alberto Burri (Italy, 1915) in 1980, Il Grande Cretto maybe is one of the most iconic artwork of Cretti series, it covers more than 120.000m2 of wreckage and hide the end of a village through a rough and affectionate monument, set in concrete with huge cracks that allow the penetration of light and life.

In the year of Burri’s centenary, “Concrete Matter” freely reflects about intimacy and monumentality, where the dichotomies present in the work of the Italian artist connects with intimidation and familiarity present in Paulo Mendes da Rocha architecture’s philosophy.

Works from Bruno Baptistelli (1985, São Paulo), Cristiano Lenhardt (1975 Itaara), Guto Requena (1979, Sorocaba), Janaina Wagner (1989, São Paulo), Leonilson (1957-1993, Fortaleza) and Raquel Uendi (1979, São Paulo) are presented in contrasts that suggests, from their coexistence in the same space, an attempt to assume a possible conceptual planning of Brutalism, connecting toughness and delicacy, man and space, where the weight of the raw material wrap the viewer in brightness and lightness.

Concrete Matter, is an experiment that tries to find points of connection between two huge icons, between the use of rough materials to uncover hidden aspects that externalize life, death, charm, strength and purity.