Ernesto Saboia de Albuquerque Neto (born 1964, in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

) is a contemporary

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

Early career

Ernesto Neto began exhibiting in Scotland in 1988 and has had solo exhibitions abroad since 1995. He represented with

Vik Muniz Vik Muniz (; born 1961) is a Brazilian artist and photographer. Initially a sculptor, Muniz grew interested with the photographic representations of his work, eventually focusing completely on photography. Primarily working with unconventional ma ...

their country in 2001

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

, his installations were featured in Brazil's national pavilion and in the international group exhibition at the

Arsenale The Venetian Arsenal ( it, Arsenale di Venezia) is a complex of former shipyards and armories clustered together in the city of Venice in northern Italy. Owned by the state, the Arsenal was responsible for the bulk of the Venetian republic's ...

Style

Neto's work has been described as "beyond abstract minimalism". His installations are large, soft, biomorphic sculptures that fill an exhibition space that viewers can touch, poke, and walk on or through. They are made of white, stretchy material—amorphous forms stuffed with Styrofoam pellets or, on occasion, aromatic spices. In some installations, he has also used this material to create translucent scrims that transform the space's walls and floor. His sculptures can be regarded as expression of traditional abstract form, but in their interaction with the viewer, they work on another level as well.

Exhibitions

One of his most acclaimed installation is at the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, from the Classical Greek word , , ' empleto all the gods') is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was b ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

called Léviathan Thot. In 2009 Neto exhibited a new work at New York's

Park Avenue Armory __NOTOC__ The Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, generally known as Park Avenue Armory, is a nonprofit cultural institution within the historic Seventh Regiment Armory building located at 643 Park Avenue on New York City's Upper East Side. The inst ...

called ''anthropodino''. Filling the hall, the aim is to help the Armory reposition itself as a big-art destination like the Turbine Hall in London's

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...

. *1994, 1997 Escola de Artes Visuais Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro *1994-96 Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro In 1998, Neto exhibited a new installation ''Navedenga.'' A clear-like lycra chamber that stretched from the floor and ceiling, viewers were invited to remove their shoes and walk through it. Resembling penetrating an opening, this installation tries to connect the dependence of the viewer's experience and the work itself. In 2010 he exhibited a popular display at London's

Hayward Gallery The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Roy ...

called 'Edges of the World'. In 2012 they exhibited "The tongue of Ernesto" at the College of San Ildefonso, Mexico In 2015 Icastica Arezzo Italy Neto has been awarded chevalier de L'

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

. In 2017, Neto exhibited at the Venice Biennale in the Arsenale. In 2018, Neto exhibited at a central train station in Zurich,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The exhibition was titled ''GaiaMotherTree'' and consisted largely of hand-knotted cotton strips in oranges and yellows. The exhibit was created alongside the

Beyeler Foundation The Beyeler Foundation or Fondation Beyeler with its museum in Riehen, near Basel (Switzerland), owns and oversees the art collection of Hildy and Ernst Beyeler, which features modern and traditional art. The Beyeler Foundation museum includes a s ...

and featured a monthlong series of workshops for both children and adults which took place beneath the exhibit. At the time of its debut, Beyeler Foundation director Sam Keller estimated that approximately a half-million people will visit the station and, consequently, the sculpture. This would have made ''GaiaMotherTree'' the most visited work of art in the history of Switzerland. In 2019, Neto exhibited at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery with ''Children of the Earth'' in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. This solo exhibit consisted of yellows, greens, purples, and reds. The exhibit also utilized musical instruments, spices and crystals to engage all five senses. In 2021, Neto exhibited a new work at

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Buil ...

called ''SunForceOceanLife''. This solo exhibit featured large, spiraling hand-woven materials in oranges, yellows and greens.

References

*Soares, Valeska; Meireles, Cildo; Neto, Ernesto. ''Seduções: Installations''. Hatje; Daros. 2006

External links

Flickr Search

Google Images

Fortes Vilaça

Tanya Bonakdar GalleryAstrup Fearnley Museum of Modern ArtUnderstanding the Expansion of Universe: An interview with Ernesto Neto
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Studio International
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neto, Ernesto 1964 births Living people Brazilian contemporary artists People from Rio de Janeiro (city)