Galpão Fortes Vilaça is pleased to present the solo exhibition Paleotoca [Paleoburrow] by Barrão. Paleoburrows are giant labyrinths excavated by extinct animals, such as pre-historical sloths. These burrows encompass precarious underground caves and networks, formed by these mammals for protection and shelter from the hostile climate that pervaded the ecological system ten thousand years ago. For this occasion, the twenty resin sculptures, with which this native carioca (born in Rio de Janeiro)gives continuity to his trajectory through the realm of objects and of collecting, seek to establish a direct relationship with the physical space that accommodates them, in addition to opening a dialogue on the question of time and the rhythm developed with the artist’s production and creation process.
Well known for his sculptural production dedicated to assemblages of finished ceramic parts, in the last year Barrão began to invest in a new research process, which started with the use of plaster and unfolded into resin as the primary material. While the collages clears the objects of their principal qualities, the monochromatic resin parts (all in white) go even further, displaying a quality of complete dysfunction from their very existence, and thus acquiring a new attribution. This way, the artist initiates a systematic investigation that is aimed at non-fragmentation, by means of a collection of objects that are starker and stripped of any inessential elements.
Furthermore, this new investigation enabled the artist to discover the aesthetic possibilities of the sculptural gesture with greater freedom. Barrão not only explores the advantages of mould making and its potential for reproduction, but also the different forms of combining, grouping and stacking up objects of daily use such as bottles, branches polystyrene foam, speakers, cassette tapes, etc., all replicated in random, unusual compositions. In Geo Milho [Geo Corn], for example, three corncobs are arranged within what can be described as a polystyrene frame to compose a single object, whereas in Castelos de Cassetes – F.S. Torres [Cassette Castle – F.S. Torres], five cassette tapes positioned in a castle-like arrangement.
Barrão was born in 1959 in Rio de Janeiro, where he lives and works. Among his solo exhibitions are: Fora Daqui,Casa França-Brasil, Rio de Janeiro (2015), Mashups, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, USA (2012); and Natureza Morta, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal (2010). The artist has also taken part in numerous group shows, including Panorama de Arte Brasileira, in 2007, and in exhibitions held at MAC, São Paulo; Paço Imperial, Rio de Janeiro; Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, in addition to participating in the celebrated show Como Vai Você, Geração 80? at Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro (1984). In parallel, Barrão has also been a member of the Chelpa Ferro collective, with Luiz Zerbini and Sérgio Mekler, since 1995.
