CONSTRUCTION IN THE WIND

FLEXA is pleased to announce its first exhibition in São Paulo, entitled Construção no vento, opening on December 16. Curated by Luisa Duarte, with exhibition design by Daniela Thomas, the exhibition, held at Claraboia, takes its title from a paradox present in a reflection by Nuno Ramos (1960) on the poetics of Mira Schendel (1919–1988): how is it possible to build amid the ephemeral? How might one conceive of a construction shaped by the inherent volatility of wind? Organized into four sections, the group exhibition brings together, through works by more than 40 artists, forms of sensibility that elude pragmatic and grandiose logics, privileging what resonates quietly.

The section entitled Minimal Gestures presents works that, through a certain formal economy and the use of subtle gestures, underscore what reaches us through restrained movements, in which minimal expenditure of energy is coupled with an intense potential for resonance. Activating the Void, inspired by a statement by Mira Schendel, brings together works capable of reframing the idea of emptiness—not as a representation of nothingness, but as something that exists and affects. Rarefied Landscapes brings together works that challenge the classical genre of landscape, moving away from naturalism toward more ethereal representations, in which what is seen operates at the threshold of visibility.

If certain aspects of Mira Schendel’s work serve here as a kind of compass, the final section embodies the way Leonilson (1957–1993) approached blank fields and empty spaces in his work, subverting a certain aseptic quality characteristic of Minimalism. This becomes a way of ensuring that the selection not only encompasses emptiness and the infinitesimal, but also, alongside them, eroticism, desire, and pain. Through small insertions or inscriptions within the blank space, this section evokes a more visceral way of considering the sensible through softness.

The curatorial approach to Construction in the Wind reflects FLEXA’s program, bringing established artists such as Lucio Fontana (1899–1968), Mira Schendel, Tunga (1952–2016), and Adriana Varejão (1964) into dialogue with emerging artists such as Rebeca Carapiá (1988) and Juliana dos Santos (1987), who will participate in the upcoming São Paulo Biennial.

Meanwhile, Iole de Freitas (1945), an important figure in Brazilian art since the 1970s, has created a sculpture especially for the exhibition, made of glassine paper, copper wire, and stones, evoking a series of aspects present in the curatorial approach.

The selection of works also continues the series of exhibitions organized by FLEXA and curated by Luisa Duarte, which offer a kind of commentary on the contemporary condition. Underlying the project is an attempt to address the numbing of affects and the constant capture of our attention and time, making the selected works and proposed exhibition design arrangements opportunities for producing alternative experiences, capable of bringing necessary, previously unheard senses to life. The exhibition will feature a text by poet and writer Julia de Souza.