These strange forms resemble birds whose figures trail parts of the landscape behind them: the seed they peck at, the leaf they shift, the branch they perch on, the great mountain of jungle that welcomes them.

Wild figures like the ornaments of the indigenous peoples, bizarre and artificial like the whole ritual and carnival repertoire, hybrid like the vegetation, the fauna, the people.

A greeting to Brazil: this heavy and intricate country seems to be upheld by a certain lightness.

I tried to capture this lightness—or perhaps it entangled itself in my work, with tropical colors and fruits, as I thought of Aleijadinho’s mocking little lions in Ouro Preto, the octagons of Nossa Senhora da Glória, or even the lively chain of Carioca houses in the city center.

In truth, these are all isolated images. The unity of memory risks slipping away but gives way to fragments of intensity.

There are also some photographs illustrating the work of people with whom I exchanged a few ideas about art in Rio de Janeiro. I enjoy greeting them with their presence in the context of this exhibition—my own—which also took shape thanks to one event, the trip to Brazil, of which they are a part.

Arianna Giorgi
January 1998

In the video room Careof presents: Ulisse va al Polo Nord..., di Gianni Nigro
VHS - PAL 22’Film - VHS - PAL 10’m - VHS - PAL 10’