MANUELA RIBADENEIRA

OBJECTS OF CERTITUDE, OBJECTS OF DOUBT

EL ARTE DE NAVEGAR: [THE ART OF NAVIGATION]

This title comes from the treatise of navigation written by
Pedro de Medina in 1545, an instruction manual on how
to use the science and scientific instruments available
at the time to be able to read the stars and navigate
the seas.
It is also the name I have given to a series of instruments
and the name of the first piece in this collection.
Some of the objects in this series make a direct historical
reference to instruments of navigation used in the voyages

that landed Europeans on the coasts of the Americas and

that became, in the case of Portugal, the basis for their
claim and possession of territories. Other instruments
make reference to later scientific developments. Some are
taken from airplanes or submarines and certain are made
up with no direct reference to an existing instrument.
Useful or useless as instruments, [found objects, ready-mades, mades and a combination of both] they all
suggest the need to be used.

El Arte de Navegar [The Art of Navigation], 2012

table: 90 x 660 x 75 cm / 24 works
General view / first floor / Casa Tringulo, So Paulo
2

El Arte de Navegar [The Art of Navigation],

2011 is based on the shape and use of a
nautical astrolabe. The needle points to
the sun, the sun passes through a small hole
in small squares attached to the top and
bottom of the needle. This produced a small
circle of light [against the shadow of the
squares] that fell upon numbers providing
the height of the sun above the horizon
[solar altitude] - Patricia Seed.
In April of 1500 the Portuguese arrived in
the coast of Brazil for the first time. One of
the members of this expedition was Maestre
Joao or Master John, the kings physician and
an astronomer. Upon arrival he performed
one of the most important acts or rituals
of possession and recorded it in a letter to
the King. With an astrolabe he recorded
the latitude of where they had landed.
The Portuguese, unlike all other European
powers at the time, based their claims
of possession of territories on scientific
discoveries that led to the development
of navigational skills. They could navigate
further, with more precious and were able to
return again and again. In that same letter,
Master John was the first one to identify the
Southern Cross as the navigating reference
for the Southern hemisphere.

El Arte de Navegar [The Art of Navigation], 2011 / bronze / 25 x 8 cm / edition of 3

Horizon Mirror, 2012

mirror, glass and brass
37 x 20,7 x 6 cm
edition of 3

Reflecting instruments are those that

use mirrors to observe two objects
simultaneously while measuring the
distance between the objects. A sextant
[mid 18th century] is an instrument used
to measure the angle between any two
visible objects, mainly used to measure
the angle between a star or the sun and
the horizon. A small part of a sextant is
called the horizon mirror and it allows you
to see simultaneously in front and behind.

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En sentido literal y en sentido figurado, 2012

wood and brass
21 x 38 cm e 9 x 33 cm
edition of 3

En sentido literal y en sentido figurado

consists of a set of parallel rulers with no
graduations and a set of parallel French or
curved rulers. Parallel rulers are used by
navigators to draw parallel lines on charts.
The tool consists of two straight edges
joined by two arms that allow them to be
moved closer or further apart while always
remaining parallel to each other.

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Artificial Horizon I, 2012 / painted metal, glass, painted mirror [diptych] / 12.5 x 8 x 8.5 cm / edition of 3
Navigators at sea could determine the altitude of a celestial body [and therefore latitude] by measuring the angle between it and the true horizon. But sometimes at sea due to fog for
example or in land where one does not have a natural and obvious horizon, it is necessary to use an artificial horizon [early 18th century], a level reflecting surface that measures the altitude
of a celestial body as half the angle between the body and its reflection. [Collins English Dictionary]
Artificial horizons are made from leveled reflective surfaces.
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Artificial Horizon II, 2012 / brass and painted glass / 12 cm, adjustable height and 9 cm, adjustable height / edition of 3

These artificial horizons have adjustable feet

so to arrange perfect height and level for an
accurate reading.

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A pair of optical mirrors used

in telescopes and other optical
instruments. One mirror has an
aluminium coating and reflects all
visible rays. The other mirror has a
gold coating and reflects both visible
and invisible rays.

Visible and Invisible, 2012 / mirrors covered with aluminum and gold on a wood base / 3 x 18 x 11 cm / edition of 3

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Spatial D is what military pilots call spatial

disorientation. The summed result of the
various perceptual illusions and degraded
sensory perception. The total failure of
situational awareness. [Scientific American,
May 2012]
Pilots are trained to be aware of deception
and to read instruments that can give
them factual information, but too many
factual readings can also cause confusion
and disorientation.
The Aviators Dilemma [Spatial D], 2012
rotating plastic base and level
6,5 x 9 cm
edition of 3

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There is a tendency to perceive any

relatively straight line in the visual field
as a horizon, but often they are false
horizons, and they are everywhere. While
flying, illusions and misperceptions and
false readings can lead you astray away
from a level flight. This instrument is
made with the smallest level found in
the market, held with tweezers. It is a
challenge to hold it in position for long
periods. Readjustment is needed.

Level Flight, 2012

tweezers, steel base, level
level: 5 mm
tweezers only no base: 16 cm long
edition of 3

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Valued historically as both rare and precious, magnets were protected by non-magnetic materials [wood, silver, ivory]
to preserve their special properties. An imantador was the magnet used to magnetize the needle on a compass.

Imantador, 2012
magnet, steel and wood
14 x 6,5 x 6,5 cm
edition of 3

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A meter-long folding ruler without graduations.

An educated guess, 2012

acrylic and brass
100 cm
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An ancient Chinese two-wheeled vehicle

invented circa 250 AD, used primarily in
strategic warfare, but also as a compass in
navigation. The chariot carried a moveable
pointer that remained fixed on a single, preselected direction no matter which way the
chariot turned.

South pointing chariot [prototype], 2012

3D printing, plastic resin
10 x 14 x 10 cm

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This object is based on a heliostat, invented

on the nineteenth century, a mirrored
instrument that reflects the rays of the sun
in one fixed direction to illuminate an object
for observation.

Ilumina, Iluminador, 2012

mirror and brass
46 x 13 cm
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Buscar na linha fria, 2012

wood and metal
8 x 10 cm

These words, which begin one of the verses in Fernando Pessoas Horizonte, describe an object, based on an old Norwegian handheld
sundial, on which pre-established navigational routes have been engraved. To keep the course one needs to align the tip of the
gnomons shadow with the desired route.

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Lontananza is an instrument based on the

cross-staff an astronomical instrument
invented in the fourteenth century and one
of the first instruments of reflection that was
used in navigation to determine latitude by
measuring the angle of the sun, or another
star, in relation to the horizon. The original
cross-staff has horizontal pieces [the cross]
that have been eliminated in Lontananza,
but it kept a sliding piece with a mirror and
a small slit through which one can see the
horizon and the reflected image behind.

Lontananza, 2012
wood and mirror
9 x 62 x 10 cm

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A pair of adjustable lenses: one that is convex to

focus light, the other concave to spread light.

Duda y Certeza, 2012

brass, convex and concave lenses
27 x 9 cm

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This object is based on a nineteenth-century

instrument called a Miners Dial, a compass-like instrument used for measuring angles
of underground passages or mineral ore
seams. Shadow instrument I is the open
fold-up/fold-down sight of a Miners Dial .

Shadow Instrument I, 2012

steel
13 x 15,5 x 3 cm
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A sundial is an instrument that measures

the passing of time by casting the shadow
of a stationary arm, or gnomon [Greek for
guide or master], on a calibrated surface
marked to indicate the position of the sun.
Depending on the position and size of the
gnomon, one can measure different types
of time (lunar or solar). One version, the
Shadow caster, has an adjustable gnomon
that can totally disappear, and is therefore a
timeless sundial.

Shadow Caster, 2012

wood
10 x 21 x 15 cm

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When all else fails is a level used in submarines

when all other instruments fail. Consulted as
a last resource, it tells what is up and what
is down, what is right and what is left. The
British Navy has these levels made for all
their submarines. The Navy due to a very
minimal inaccuracy rejected this one.

When all else fails, 2012

glass, pure water, copper ball bearing
from tip to tip 48 cm length, 2 cm approx.

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A handheld mirror that produces an upside-down image.

Para verte major, 2012

wood and mirror
7 x 3 cm

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This object is an original, nineteenth-century

prism probably used for experiments with
light, colour and polarization. It reminded
me of the crystal called Sunstone, which
was presumably used by Viking sailors.
When held up against the center of the
sky, the sunlight would get polarized into
an ordinary beam and extraordinary beam.
By seeing how these two beams line up
according to the angle of the sun, it can be
used to locate the sun even though it is not
visible. While there is sunlight this works,
even though there are clouds blocking the
sun or though it has gone a few degrees
below the horizon. www.ravingravens.com

Sunstone, 2012
19th c. prism
33 x 23 x 10 cm
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This object, more than an

instrument is an exercise. The
long rod is not fixed in any way on
the round base. It is a challenge
to find the point of equilibrium so
the strip balances on the ball.

Nivel, 2012
acrylic, aluminum
46,5 cm and sphere 2 cm
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A divider is an instrument used by mariners to measure distances on nautical charts.

Entre t y yo, 2012

dividers
6,5 x 18 cm

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A ringdial is a small portable sundial that

uses light not shadow to determine time.
Made in the shape of a cylindrical ring with
one hole placed on the ring determined by
latitude and an adjustable inner piece that
can be moved depending on the season.
To use one must hold the dial so that the Sun
shines through the hole in the central ring.
The point of light that appears on the inside
shows you the time on a graduated scale.
Son las tres de la tarde, aqui is a ringdial
suspended in one hour and one place.

Son las tres de la tarde, aqu [Ringdial], 2012

brass
23 x 9 x 6 cm

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Usually made of ivory, diptych dials like

this were used from the fifteenth century
onwards as portable instruments based
on the principles of both horizontal and
vertical sundials. Their gnomon [guide] is
not a solid part, but a string that points
to the celestial North or South Poles; they
also have three holes that can be adjusted
to various heights depending on latitude.

Shadow Instrument II, 2012

wood, string and metal hinges
12 x 11 x 7 cm

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Suspension, 2012
tweezers and glass
45 x 24 x 7 cm

Not strictly a navigational instrument, this hollow glass shape, suspended between the tips of two tweezers, derives from an
invention by Michael Faraday [1791-1867] known as the Faraday Egg, which was used by the British scientist to conduct experiments
on electrical charges and conductivity. The glass shape corresponds to the bubble in a Level and its function as a finder of
equilibrium, balance and direction.
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I asked directions for getting

lost, 2012
brass
a quarter of a circle of 20 cm
in diameter
edition of 3

A Quadrant, already very well known by the

1450s, is, as the name implies, a quarter of a
circle. They were made of metal with a small
plummet that hangs from the centre point
on a thread across a scale of degrees, which
is marked along the edge. The quadrant was
engraved with hour lines and lines showing
the suns path through the signs of the
zodiac. Many where also engraved with the
names of landmarks at the points where the
thread should fall.
In this particular quadrant, all scales and
all lines, except one, were erased. The
only landmark left is to ask directions for
getting lost.

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Mira, definition: to see or aim.

Mira, 2012
bronze
3,5 x 2,5 cm
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Particles is a piece in opposition to the

instruments in El Arte de Navegar. This piece
starts from a story occurred in the Large
Hadron Collider [LHC], the biggest scientific
instrument or rather scientific facility existing
today -27 kilometres in circumference
beneath the Franco- Swiss border. The LHC
is a particle accelerator built from 1998 to
2008, with the aim to test different theories
of particle physics in particular to prove or
disprove the existence of the Higgs boson,
the particle that explains why other particles
acquire mass. In 2009 the LHC suffered a fire
that paralyzed the machine for several days

because an owl dropped a bread crumb in

one of the ventilation ducts. Working with
computer designers we created a mental
image of a bread crumb, made a 3D printed
model and then casted it in bronze as many
times as possible until the mold broke.
The resulting objects were placed in a box
that comes out of the wall with an open face
towards the viewer, mirrored faces above and
bellow and transparent sides.

Particles, 2012
bronze and acrylic
acrylic box: 11 x 14 cm
bronze pieces: variable dimensions, 70g each

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MANUELA RIBADENEIRA
OBJETOS DE CERTEZA, OBJETOS DE DVIDA

MANUELA RIBADENEIRA
OBJECTS OF CERTITUDE, OBJECTS OF DOUBT

Do rigor na cincia

On exactitude in science

... Naquele Imprio, a Arte da Cartografia atingiu tal Perfeio que o Mapa de uma s
Provncia ocupava toda uma Cidade e o Mapa do Imprio toda uma Provncia. Com o
tempo, estes Mapas Desmesurados no satisfizeram e os Colgios de Cartgrafos
levantaram um Mapa do Imprio, que tinha o Tamanho do Imprio e coincidia
pontualmente com ele.

... In that Empire, the Art of Cartography attained such Perfection that the map of
a single Province occupied the entirety of a City, and the map of the Empire, the
entirety of a Province. In time, those Unconscionable Maps no longer satisfied, and the
Cartographers Guild struck a Map of the Empire whose size was that of the Empire, and
which coincided point for point with it.

(Surez Miranda: Viajes de Varones Prudentes, livro IV, cap. XIV, Lrida, 1658.)

(Surez Miranda: Viajes de Varones Prudentes, book IV, chapter XIV, Lrida, 1658.)

Borges, Jorge Lus. Histria universal da infmia.

Borges, Jorge Lus. A Universal History of Infamy.

Entre as dezenas de instrumentos cuidadosamente dispostos sobre a mesa que ocupa

o espao central da galeria, um objeto em particular pode ser considerado como
emblemtico das questes que permeiam toda a srie A arte de navegar. Trata-se de
El horizonte adelante, El reflejo de una estrella atrs (Espelho de Horizonte), 2012, uma
pea cuja delicada estrutura em bronze sustenta, de um lado, um espelho e do outro,
um vidro no reflexivo, perfeitamente alinhados e simtricos. Aqui, Manuela Ribadeneira
recria o sistema de espelhos reflexivos empregado nos sextantes, instrumentos
utilizados para calcular o ngulo entre os astros e o horizonte, assim determinando o
posicionamento dos navios no oceano. sobretudo interessante notar a coincidncia
entre forma e simbolismo neste objeto nico que capaz de expressar plenamente o
olhar retrospectivo e prospectivo que caracteriza a obra de Ribadeneira. Assim como em
trabalhos anteriores, esta srie mobiliza referncias histricas precisas a fim de produzir
uma reflexo sobre o presente e sobre rumos futuros.

Among the several instruments carefully arranged on the long table that occupies the
gallerys main room, one object in particular can be considered to encapsulate the
questions that permeate the whole series The Art of Navigation. El horizonte adelante,
El reflejo de una estrella atrs (Horizon Mirror), 2012 is a piece formed by a delicate
bronze frame-like structure which holds, on one side, a mirror, and on the other, a piece
of non-reflective glass, perfectly aligned and symmetric. Here, Manuela Ribadeneira
recreates the system of reflective mirrors used in sextants, instruments employed
to calculate the angle between the stars and the horizon in order to determine the
position of ships in the ocean. It is especially interesting to note the coincidence of
form and symbolism in this unique object that can fully express the retrospective and
prospective gaze that characterises Ribadeneiras work. Like some of her previous
projects, this series mobilises precise historical references in order to produce a
reflection on present and future.

A arte de navegar um projeto iniciado em 2011 para a Bienal do Mercosul, no

qual temas centrais de sua obra como a noo de direito sobre um territrio e a
transposio de sistemas de conhecimento europeus para as Amricas em tempos
coloniais so abordados especificamente em relao ao processo de colonizao do
Brasil pelos portugueses. A artista conta que, particularmente no caso de Portugal, a
reivindicao da posse dos territrios ultramarinos fundamentava-se sobretudo nas
descobertas cientficas. Cita, como um dos mais fascinantes exemplos desta prtica
tipicamente portuguesa, a carta de Mestre Joo ao Rei D. Manuel de Portugal em 1500,
na qual o autor relata a chegada da frota cabralina costa brasileira . Logo no incio
deste documento, Mestre Joo recorre a seus conhecimentos da cincia da cartografia
a fim estabelecer a latitude local por meio de um astrolbio. Especialmente significativo
o fato que neste mesmo documento o desenho da constelao do Cruzeiro do Sul

The Art of Navigation is a project started in 2011 for the Mercosul Biennial, in which
some central themes of her work such as the notion of right over a territory and the
transposition of European knowledge systems to the Americas in colonial times are
examined specifically in relation to the Portuguese colonisation of Brazil. The artist says
that, particularly in the case of Portugal, the claim of possession of overseas territories
were based on scientific discoveries above all . As one of the most fascinating examples
of this typically Portuguese practice, she mentions a letter from Mestre Joo to the
King D. Manuel of Portugal in 1500, in which the author narrates the arrival of Cabrals
fleet on the Brazilian coast. At the very beginning of the document, Mestre Joo
displays his knowledge of the science of cartography to establish the local latitude
using an astrolabe. Significantly, it was in the same document that the Southern
Cross constellation was first presented, henceforth becoming the main astronomical
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tenha sido apresentado pela primeira vez, passando a ser o principal ponto de referncia
astronmica para a navegao do hemisfrio sul e constituindo-se em um novo
paradigma para determinar nosso lugar no mundo.
Em sua extensa e abrangente pesquisa acerca da colonizao das costas brasileiras,
e particularmente da idia da tomada de posse de um determinado territrio por
meio da cincia, Ribadeneira examinou no apenas os relatos histricos como buscou
compreender, na medida do possvel, o mecanismo de funcionamento dos antigos
instrumentos de navegao utilizados pelos colonizadores portugueses para orient-los
na travessia do Atlntico. Reuniu, diligentemente, uma variedade de publicaes que
incluem descries e ilustraes detalhadas sobre esses objetos e visitou locais peculiares
como o Museu Martimo de Londres e a fbrica de equipamentos para submarinos da
Marinha Britnica a fim de recolher informaes e amostras. Todos esses elementos
contriburam para a criao de uma srie de objetos que referenciam mais ou menos
explicitamente os instrumentos originais.
Em alguns casos, como em El Arte de Navegar (2011), trabalho que possui o mesmo ttulo
da srie, a relao com o instrumento original mais evidente. Esta pequena pea em
bronze, na forma do ponteiro de um antigo astrolbio, com uma pequena perfurao
que permite que um foco de luz seja projetado em uma de suas abas, evoca vivamente
a imagem deste instrumento ao mesmo tempo em que o transforma em objeto potico.
De fato, este objeto no possui funcionalidade alguma, pois nele foram omitidos outros
elementos necessrios para determinar a navegao. Este apagamento remete, ainda,
a uma certa impreciso caracterstica desses instrumentos. Pois, como demonstra o
pequeno conto de Borges que abre este texto, a cincia s capaz de produzir uma
representao perfeita do mundo na medida em que coincide absolutamente com
ele. Curiosamente, ao ser apresentado em So Paulo (ou Porto Alegre), este objeto
igualmente escultrico, cuja forma o aproxima da produo tridimensional de artistas
como Max Bill ou Franz Weissmann, passa a integrar um dilogo com a tradio
construtiva da arte brasileira.
Em meio aos objetos que envolvem a reconstruo e a subverso do instrumento original,
Ribadeneira inclui tambm alguns ready-mades que fazem referncia a desenvolvimentos
cientficos posteriores. O enigmtico e fascinante tubo de vidro curvado em cujo interior
preenchido de um lquido transparente encontra-se uma esfera de bronze nos parece
perfeitamente aceitvel como objeto artstico, embora sua utilidade prtica seja mais
duvidosa. Mas, justamente este objeto frgil e belo ainda hoje utilizado pela Marinha
Britnica em seus submarinos em situaes de emergncia nas quais todos os modernos
equipamentos eletrnicos de navegao param de funcionar. A artista simplesmente
apropriou-se deste instrumento e batizou-o de When all else fails (2012).
Esses desvios poticos aos quais o conjunto de A Arte de Navegar submetido intensificam
seu carter misterioso. Somos tomados por um desejo instintivo de manipul-los a fim

reference for navigating the southern hemisphere and constituting a new paradigm for
determining our place in the world.
In her extensive and broad research around the colonisation of the Brazilian coast and
particularly around the idea of taking possession of a certain territory through science,
Ribadeneira examined not only historical narratives but also sought to understand, as
far as possible, the functioning mechanism of old navigation instruments employed
by the Portuguese colonisers to guide them in their Atlantic crossings. She diligently
gathered a variety of publications including detailed descriptions and illustrations about
these objects and - in order to collect samples and information - visited peculiar places
such as the National Maritime Museum, in London, and the factory that manufactures
equipment for Royal Navy submarines in order to collect samples and information. All
these elements have contributed to the creation of a series of objects that reference,
more or less explicitly, the original instruments.
In some cases, such as in The Art of Navigation (2011), a work that shares its title
with the series, the relationship with the original instrument is more evident. This small
bronze piece, shaped like the pointer of an old astrolabe, with a small perforation
through which light can be projected onto one of the flaps, vividly evokes the image
of the original instrument, at the same time transforming it into a poetic object. In
fact, this object is completely useless, as it omits many of the elements necessary for
navigation. This effacement also relates to a certain imprecision that characterises
these instruments. Indeed, as demonstrated by Borges short story that opens this
text, science is only capable of producing a perfect representation of the world when it
absolutely coincides with it. Curiously, when shown in So Paulo (or Porto Alegre), this
equally sculptural object, formally akin to the three-dimensional works of artists such
as Max Bill or Franz Weissmann, enters into a dialogue with the constructive tradition
of Brazilian art.
Among objects which involve the reconstruction and subversion of the original
instruments, Ribadeneira also includes some ready-mades that reference later scientific
developments. The enigmatic and fascinating curved glass tube filled with a clear
liquid and containing a bronze sphere seems perfectly acceptable as an artistic object,
although one may doubt its practical utility. However, this highly fragile and beautiful
object is employed today by British Navy submarines during emergencies in case all
modern electronic navigation devices fail to work. The artist simply appropriated this
instrument and called it When All Else Fails (2012).
These poetic detours - which the series The Art of Navigation is subjected to - intensify
its mysterious character. We are taken by an instinctive desire to manipulate these
pieces in order to try to figure out their purpose, which remains inevitably obscure.
According to Ribadeneira, her objects ask the following questions: Where am I?
Where am I going? How do I get back to where I came from? Moreover: How can
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de experimentar e desvendar seu propsito, que permanece inevitavelmente obscuro.

Segundo Ribadeneira, seus objetos levantam as seguintes questes: Onde estou? Para
onde vou? Como posso retornar a meu ponto de origem? Ou ainda: Como nos perdemos?
Nesse deslocamento e entrelaamento de sentidos, estas perguntas se tornam quase
metafsicas. Mas, acima de tudo, a artista est interessada na falta de certeza em toda a
aparente certeza que os sistemas nos do. A astronomia, a cartografia e outros sistemas
cientficos so portanto invocados em seu trabalho para comentar sobre o perodo de
enorme dvida em que vivemos hoje, quando extremamente difcil prever o que vai
acontecer nos prximos anos ou acreditar em qualquer tipo de sistema (econmico,
poltico, religioso).
Seu interesse pelos instrumentos cientficos tambm a base do outro conjunto
de trabalhos que integra a mostra Objetos de certeza, objetos de dvida. Desta vez,
Ribadeneira parte de um episdio recente, no qual uma migalha derrubada acidentalmente
por uma coruja dentro de um dos ventiladores do Grande Colisor de Hdrons (LHC), em
Genebra, causou seu superaquecimento e interrompeu seu funcionamento por alguns
dias. Para esta srie indita de trabalhos, a artista produziu dezenas de objetos moldados
em bronze que conferem materialidade uma imagem mental desta migalha. Sua forma
orgnica e a maneira um tanto desordenada como esto dispostas no primeiro andar
da galeria, evoca a idia de caos em contraponto ordem que reina no piso trreo. Mais
uma vez, a exatido da cincia colocada em cheque: o acaso provoca o colapso de um
dos mais sofisticados instrumentos cientficos da atualidade. ironicamente apropriado,
portanto, que este trabalho esteja sendo apresentado pela primeira vez no Brasil, onde o
nome popular da famosa partcula de Bson-Higgs foi largamente traduzido pela mdia
local como Partcula de Deus, a partir do ingls God particle, ou Partcula-Deus, aquela
que supostamente daria origem matria.

we get lost? In this shifting and interweaving of meanings, these questions become
almost metaphysical. But above all, the artist is interested in the lack of certitude
in all apparent certitude that systems provide. Astronomy, cartography and other
traditional scientific systems are thus invoked in her work in order to comment on the
period of enormous doubt we live in today, when it is extremely hard to predict what
will happen next or to have faith in any kind of system (economic, political, religious).
Her interest in scientific instruments is also the foundation of another group of works
in the exhibition Objects of Certitude, Objects of Doubt. This time, Ribadeneira takes
as her starting point a recent episode in which a breadcrumb was accidentally dropped
by an owl into one of the vents of the Large Hadron Collider, in Geneva, causing it to
overheat and disrupting its functioning for a few days. For this new series of works,
the artist produced several bronze cast objects which give a material existence to the
mental image of the breadcrumb. Its organic shape and the disorderly manner in which
they are displayed on the gallerys first floor evoke the idea of chaos that contrasts
with the order that reigns on the ground floor. Once more, the exactitude of science is
called into question, as pure chance provoked the collapse of one of the worlds most
sophisticated contemporary scientific instruments. It is also ironically fitting that this
work is being shown for the first time in Brazil, where the popular name for the famous
Higgs-Bosom particle that supposedly originates matter is largely translated by the
local media as Gods Particle, as opposed to the original English term God Particle.
Kiki Mazzucchelli
October 2012

Kiki Mazzucchelli
Outubro de 2012

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MANUELA RIBADENEIRA
NASCEU EM [BORN IN] QUITO, ECUADOR, 1966
VIVE E TRABALHA EM [LIVES AND WORKS IN] LONDON, UK

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012
Objects of Certitude, objects of doubt, Casa Tringulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012
A House of Leaves, curated by Vincent Honor, David Roberts Art Foundation, London, UK

2011
Impromptu op.23, Arte Actual- Flacso, Quito, Ecuador

2011
8Bienal do Mercosul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Paradas em Movimento, Centro Cultural So Paulo, Brazil

2010
Los Incorruptibles, adhoc galera, Vigo, Spain
2009
Change is around the corner, dpm gallery, Miami, USA
Cortes y Recortes, Galera Vrtice, Lima, Peru
2008
To be born in a stable does not make you a horse [o de la patria por nuestra voluntad],
curated by Virginia Prez-Ratton, Teortica, San Jos, Costa Rica
2005
De Jardines y Lneas Imaginarias, dpm gallery, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Traslado: la Mitad del Mundo llega a la Casa de la Cultura, Artes No Decorativas S.A.,
Casa de la Cultura, Quito, Ecuador
2002
Crtica Ready-made, Artes No Decorativas S.A., Museo Banco Central, Guayaquil,
Ecuador
2001
Sobremesa, Artes No Decorativas S.A., Casa Madeleine Hollaender, dpm gallery, Cuenca,
Ecuador; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Museo de la Ciudad, Quito, Ecuador
2000
Organigrama, Artes No Decorativas S.A., Museo de la Ciudad, Quito, Ecuador
El Rollo que es hacer cualquier cosa y el hilo que se necesita para no perderse, Artes No
Decorativas S.A., El Pobre Diablo, Quito, Ecuador
Artes No Decorativas S.A., Casa de la Cultura, Cuenca, Ecuador

2010
Pasado Imperfecto ASAB ,Bogot, Lugar a Dudas, Cali, Centro Fundacin Telefnica, Lima,
Grossman galleries, Easton, USA
Playlist, lo mejor del arte contemporneo ecuatoriano, curated by Rodolfo Kronfle, Procesos
Casa de la Cultura de Cuenca Bienal de Cuenca, Museo Municipal de Guayaquil
2009
At your service, curated by Cylena Simonds David Roberts Art Foundation, London, UK
2008
Somewhere, Nowhere, Cardoso, Ribadeneira, dpm Gallery, Miami, USA Tatton Park Biennale,
Cheshire, UK
Something less something more, curated by Vincent Honor Gallery One One One, London,
UK
2007
The (S) Files 007, curated by Rodolfo Kronfle/ Elvis Fuentes, Museo del Barrio, New York, USA
52 Venice Biennale, Italy, Latin American Pavillion Bienal del fin del Mundo, Ushuaia,
Argentina
2006
Piedra y palabra suelta no tienen vuelta, intervention in a public space, Architecture Biennale,
Quito, Ecuador
Forest Art Path, intervention in a public space, Darmstadt, Germany
Tres nudos trescientos tajos Brito Cardoso Ribadeneira, Galera Animal, Santiago, Chile
2005
Space Protocol, curated by L. Garrett Parnu, Rael Artel Project Space, Estonia
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Cloud and Vision: William Blake in Lambeth, curadoria de [curated by] Danielle Arnaud
Museum of Garden History, London, UK
2004
Infiltrate, curadoria de [curated by] Louise Garrett The Substation, Singapur
Thirtysecondslivequake, curadoria de [curated by] Cecilia Canziani, Galerie Jacky
Strenz, Berlin, Germany
Definitively Provisional, curadoria de [curated by] Canziani/ Haugaard, Whitechapel
project space, London, UK, The Appendix, Copenhaguen, Denmark
2003
8th Havana Biennale, Artes No Decorativas S.A., Cuba Vestido de Mujer, curadoria de
[curated by] Lupe lvarez dpm gallery, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Made in UK, Arch Gallery, London, UK Arte Ecuatoriano contemporneo, Artes No
Decorativas S.A., Museo Pedro de Osma, Lima, Peru
2002
ES2002, Standard Biennale, Tijuana, Mexico
2001
Mujeres, curadoria de [curated by] Lenin Oa, Museo de Amrica, Madrid, Spain
2000
Dilogo Ecuador/Brasil, Memorial de America Latina, So Paulo, Brazil; PUCE, Quito,
Ecuador
OTHER PROJECTS
Manuela Ribadeneira is founder and co-editor with Vincent Honor of the
contemporary art journal Drawing Room Confessions [2011-]
www.drawingroomconfessions.com
Manuela Ribadeneira, is together with Nelson Garca, one half of the artistic collective
Artes No Decorativas S.A. [1998-]

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