Rivane Neuenschwander

Brazilian artist Rivane Neuenschwander’s diverse body of work reflects her interest in exploring the intersections between different cultures and the ways that our hopes and dreams take material form. "When I prepare an exhibition," Neuenschwander explains, "I try to create a sort of ‘world’ for the visitor to reflect upon and interact with."

Aspects of Brazilian culture provide the basis for Rivane Neuenschwander’s most recent works of art. I Wish Your Wish, 2002, is inspired by the church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim in São Salvador. Visitors to the church select a ribbon, which they tie with three knots, making a wish with the tying of each knot. The ribbon is then tied to the visitor’s wrist. According to tradition, wishes come true when the ribbon falls off the wrist. To make I Wish Your Wish, Neuenschwander asks people of different ages in different countries what they wish for; she then prints the wishes onto thousands of brightly colored ribbons, which are installed in the gallery. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to select from the wishes of others and make them their own. Students from Cathedral Basilica School, Crossroads, and Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shared their wishes with Neuenschwander during her recent visit to St. Louis. Neuenschwander mined Brazilian popular culture for the Zé Carioca series of paintings, which reference an iconic Disney character—a colorful, happy-go-lucky Rivane Neuenschwander, Brazilian, I Wish Your Wish, 2002 parrot—introduced to Brazil in 1943. These abstract paintings use the colors and compositions of the original comics, but remove the words and characters, leaving only brilliant color and empty white "speech balloons."

Rivane Neuenschwander was born in 1967 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where she still lives and works. She studied at the School of Fine Arts in Belo Horizonte and at the Royal College of Art in London. She has had solo exhibitions at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Walker Art Center, and has been featured in international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale and the Biennale of São Paolo, Brazil.

Pressetext

Rivane Neuenschwander
Kurator: Robin Clark