The Fortes Vilaça Gallery is pleased to present to the Brazilian public the travelling version of the exhibition poT. Previously shown in England, poT was part of the exhibition program of the Second Liverpool Biennial, which took place in September of this year. The exhibition brings together artists from various countries and generations, with the common theme of the relation between art and household objects. Sculptures, paintings, photographs, and video art explore the formal, poetic, and even political possibilities of jars, vases, cups, buckets, etc.

poT (inspired by the English word "pot") is a reference to the making of ceramics. "These works seem to have been molded out of a block, as in the ceramics tradition. Giratory movements of the artist's thought and of the "modeling" of the works are carried out without any apparent hierarchy, in harmony for the realization of the "vase." (…) none of them seems to be commenting on the difficulty of making art, they do not perform incredulous conjuring tricks, instead they come into existence with the courage with which a spoon or a watch exists."

The selection of artists is unusual, next to famous [Brazilian] names such as Lygia Pape, Hélio Oiticica, and Nelson Leirner appear international artists such as Sarah Lucas (one of the leading names in British art of the '90s) and also young artists such as Marepe, Tiago Carneiro da Cunha and Xu. The presence of different generations enriches all the works, which are subjectively grouped according to affinities of form, material, or content.

Everyday objects gain unexpected profiles, such as in Iran do Espírito Santo's UFO, a sculpture made with two plates of stainless steel placed one on top of the other, like a flying saucer; or in Alexandre da Cunha's Terracota Ebony – a group of objects that look like ceramics, but are made with pieces of rubber and toilet plungers.

Other works emphasize a certain fantastic aspect of reality and seem to contain a narrative. This is the case with the sculpture by the English artist Jean Lee which shows a real plant whose leaves are painted different colors, and with the work of Caroline McCarthy, also from Engand – her contribution is a Pepsi-Cola glass with a straw that permanently rotates.

Another important work is Lata Fogo [Fire Can] made in 1966 by Hélio Oiticica, in which the artist appropriates the flaming barrels used on highways to indicate contruction work. poT has an illustrated catalog that will be on sale at the gallery.