Estela Sokol | Secret Forest

10 June 15 July 2011

Secret Forest (Series), Upper Austria, 2011 photographic print on cotton paper | 180 x 110 cm courtesy Zipper Galeria

installation view of Halo, Galeria Virglio, So Paulo, 2007 Meio Dia (Midday), 2007 painted wood | 250 x 580 x 580 cm photo: Domingues, courtesy the artist

Formal Pedagogy

At times, on days of perfect and flawless light, When things have all the reality they are able to have, I slowly ask myself Why it is that attribute Beauty to things. Does a flower have beauty perchance? Is there perchance beauty in a fruit? No: There is colour and form And nothing but existence. (...) Alberto Caeiro

At times, on days of perfect and flawless light I am reminded of works of art that enable me to understand light better, such as those by Estela Sokol. This dependence on art that I have in order to succeed in seeing the world does concern me. I would have never noticed that a white cat lying by a red plastic bag would become pink had I not known an artwork that treats colour-light as Sokols does. The pleasing amazement that I enjoy does not originate with the pink cat, because I know that there are no pink cats: it stems from the fact that I have learned through an artwork that there are natural colour and light phenomena that bring about the magical dyeing of a white cats hair. Clarabia (Skylight), an artwork by Estela Sokol presented at her latest solo exhibition in So Paulo (Pao das Artes, January 2011), is a wall piece, namely a large white lacquered wooden circular band, 180 centimetres in diameter, with the internal side painted in a bright yellow. The part of the wall that is delimited by the circle changes colour and interacts with the artwork; it has now turned light yellow. This circular band leads me along a curvature that starts from the art object to a phenomenon of natural colour and light, and then takes me back to the sphere of art. I am dependent upon such works of art to know how to see the world and to see colour-light reflected upon my being in reality. If it is art, then it changes the hue of my understanding of things in a subtle manner.

Secret Forest (Series), Upper Austria, 2011 photographic print on cotton paper | 110 x 165 cm courtesy Zipper Galeria

What is constructive art if not art that rationally constructs forms silent, non-discursive which engenders a new understanding concerning reality in ones body? As Estela Sokol stated when I first visited her at her studio, problems appear and are solved in the very act of making things. There is no inspiration from any mysterious source, there is no creative force detached from the direct manipulation of materials, colour and light. The idea is not sellotaped to the work; it is born out of the work, it buds from the construction of form. Estela Sokol belongs to a tradition of constructivism that flourished in Brazil at the end of 1950s, in the Objetos Ativos (Active Objects) and Pluriobjetos (Pluriobjects) by Willys de Castro, in the Superfcies Moduladas (Modulated Surfaces) by Lygia Clark and in the research into colour pursued by Hlio Oiticica in his Invenes (Inventions), Relevos Espaciais (Spacial Reliefs), Bilaterais (Bilaterals) and Ncleos (Nuclei). By overlaying colour onto transparent PVC, in the series A cor que tem cor nas asas da borboleta (It is colour that has colour on the wings of the butterfly), Estela Sokol ends up creating, by means of a subtractive synthesis of light, other colours, darkening her blues with an intersection in red, achieving black in the total intersection of all colours. The coloured, semi-translucent plastics in fluoridated colours that innovate the palette of Brazilian constructivism envelope small stretchers, overlaying fields of fluctuating colour, which remind us of the interplay between frame and surface in the work of Lygia Clark. A thin gap between the two shades of blue reveals the magenta plastic used as a first layer in the piece. A bright blue almost vanishes because it is so thin on the edge of the rectangle that it winds around the corner of the piece, highlighting the side of the stretcher, thus placing the artwork between painting and sculpture. These are often very small objects of about 15 centimetres in their largest dimension, and might even be confused with studies for larger pieces, had they not been bundled in a flock covering a large wall alongside small engravings, numerous variations in the use of acrylic and plastic pieces coated with a layer of black automotive rubber, removing the possibility of shine as well as allowing for further research into the interaction between the colour-pigment and the colour-light. The reduced dimensions of these objects presented to the viewer in great number, handcrafted with layers of plastic over stretchers, additionally suggest a notion of lesser art, of handicraft, whilst the repetition of the objects, that differ from each other in minute details, combined with the use of materials such as plastic, acrylic, synthetic varnish and automotive rubber coating reminds us of industrial processes. The synthesis of industrialisation, handicraft and visual arts clamours for a reading linked to Bauhaus. The decision to install a wall with tens of artworks is another gesture that invokes famous images of constructive art, as it is the case of the 0,10 exhibition of 1915 in which Malevitchs black square was installed in a corner between two walls, close to the ceiling, or photographs of Mondrians studio. The installation of various small artworks on a single wall is also reproduced at Sokols own studio in So Paulo, an experimental laboratory in light-colour lined with pieces that leave traces of colour on the white walls.

A cor que tem cor nas asas da borboleta (series) (It is colour that has colour on the wings of the butterfly), 2011 PVC on stretcher | 18 x 24 cm (each) courtesy Galerie Wuensch

Making Of or not (Series), Upper Austria, 2011 photographic print on acrylic | 30 x 20 cm courtesy Zipper Galeria

This laboratory was moved, for forty days, to the expanse of white Austrian snow at the beginning of 2011. With the flawless sun light on snow-white, Sokol captured, in photographs, traces of prosaic objects of intense colour such as latex balls and acrylic sheets. The colour of these objects stains the white snow in the Secret Forest series, or at times lights up as a neon light in the Polarlicht series. As if investigating a source of alternative energy, the artist herself appears in the series Making of or not imbedding colour power plants into the ice. In one of the photos, the purple of the vinyl ball seems to be leaking onto the white soil whilst, in the distance, the artist carries an object-reactor of green energy. The exhibition also includes a series of acrylic and PVC objects that create bulging shapes that appear to come off the wall: Oflias (Ophelias) serialised and juxtaposed, they create a grey tunnel from which fluorescent green shines as neon light. However, it is pure colour-light pulsating in a time tunnel that transports us to other constructivist experiences. Within the perfect and flawless light of this exhibition, art has all of the reality that it is able to have. And despite not understanding why I call such clarity of form beauty, I understand that it is a form that clarifies my chaos in understanding the world. Paula Braga, May 2011

Colour is not a mere feature of the butterfly; on the contrary, it is colour that becomes manifest in the butterfly the butterfly is a body of colour. The title of this series is yet another reference to Fernando Pessoas heteronym: A butterfly passes in front of me And for the first time in the Universe do I notice That butterflies have neither colour nor movement, Similarly to flowers which have neither scent nor colour. It is colour that has colour on the wings of the butterfly, It is in the movement of the butterfly that the movement happens, It is scent that has scent in the scent of the flower. The butterfly is only a butterfly And the flower is only a flower. (Alberto Caeiro)

partial installation view of Clarabia (Skylight), Pao das Artes, So Paulo, 2010-2011 Clarabia (Skylight), 2010 | painted wood | 180 x 190 x 40 cm (left) Oflias (Ophelias), 2010 | PVC and Plexiglas | 160 x 500 x 64 cm (right) courtesy Zipper Galeria

Pedagogia Formal

s vezes, em dias de luz perfeita e exacta, Em que as cousas tm toda a realidade que podem ter, Pergunto a mim prprio devagar Por que sequer atribuo eu Beleza s cousas. Uma flor acaso tem beleza? Tem beleza acaso um fruto? No: tm cor e forma E existncia apenas. (...) Alberto Caeiro

s vezes em dias de luz perfeita e exata, lembro de obras de arte que me fazem entender melhor a luz, como as de Estela Sokol. Preocupa-me essa dependncia que tenho da arte para conseguir enxergar o mundo. Eu nunca repararia que o gato branco, deitado ao lado da sacola vermelha de plstico, ficou cor de rosa, se eu no conhecesse uma obra que trata da cor-luz, como a obra de Sokol. O deslumbramento prazeroso no vem do gato cor de rosa, porque eu sei que no h gatos cor de rosa: vem de eu saber, de eu ter aprendido com uma obra de arte, que existem fenmenos naturais da cor e da luz que causam a mgica do tingimento dos pelos brancos. Clarabia, obra de Estela Sokol, apresentada na ltima individual da artista em So Paulo (Pao das Artes, janeiro de 2011), uma pea de parede, uma grande fita circular de madeira laqueada de branco, com 180 centmetros de dimetro, cuja face interna pintada com um amarelo luminoso. A parte da parede delimitada pelo crculo muda de cor, interage com a obra; agora amarelo claro. Essa fita circular me conduz numa curva que vai do objeto de arte a um fenmeno da cor e da luz natural, e ento retorna esfera da arte. Dependo de obras assim para saber ver o mundo e ver a cor-luz da arte refletida sobre meu estar na realidade. Se arte, muda sutilmente a cor do meu entendimento das coisas.

Secret Forest (Series), Upper Austria, 2011 photographic print on cotton paper | 110 x 165 cm courtesy Zipper Galeria

O que a arte construtiva seno uma arte que racionalmente constri formas silenciosas, no discursivas que engendram no corpo um novo entendimento perante a realidade? Como Estela Sokol afirmou quando a visitei pela primeira vez em seu ateli, os problemas surgem e so solucionados no fazer. No h inspirao de nenhuma fonte misteriosa, nenhuma fora criativa separada da manipulao direta dos materiais, da cor e da luz. A ideia no adesivada ao trabalho; nasce dele, brota da construo da forma. Estela Sokol pertence a uma tradio do construtivismo que no Brasil floresceu no final dos anos 1950, nos Objetos Ativos e Pluriobjetos de Willys de Castro, nas Superfcies Moduladas de Lygia Clark, e na pesquisa da cor empreendida por Hlio Oiticica nas Invenes, Relevos Espaciais, Bilaterais e Ncleos. Trabalhando com a sobreposio da cor em PVC transparente, na srie A cor que tem cor nas asas da borboleta, Estela Sokol vai criando, por sntese subtrativa de luz, outras cores, escurecendo seus azuis com uma interseco no vermelho, chegando ao preto nas reas de interseco total de todas as cores. Os plsticos coloridos, semi-translcidos, em cores fluoretadas que inovam a paleta do construtivismo brasileiro, encapam pequenos chassis, em sobreposies de campos de cor flutuantes que nos remetem aos jogos entre moldura e superfcie de Lygia Clark. Uma fina fresta entre dois azuis revela o plstico magenta como primeira camada usada na pea. Um azul brilhante quase some de to fino na borda do retngulo, e dobra a esquina da pea, salientando a lateral do chassis e inserindo a obra numa transio entre a pintura e a escultura. So por vezes objetos muito pequenos, com cerca de 15 centmetros em sua maior dimenso, e que podem ser confundidos com estudos para peas maiores, se no viessem em bando, cobrindo uma enorme parede, ao lado de pequenas gravuras, de inmeras variaes no uso do acrlico e de peas em que o plstico recebeu uma camada de emborrachamento automotivo preto, selando a possibilidade do brilho e propiciando outros estudos sobre a interao da cor-pigmento com a cor-luz. A dimenso reduzida desses objetos que nos so apresentados s dezenas, feitos mo, com camadas de plstico sobre chassis, sugere ainda a noo de arte menor, de artesania, ao passo que a repetio de objetos, que diferem um do outro por pequenos detalhes, aliada ao uso de materiais como plstico, acrlico, esmalte sinttico e emborrachamento automotivo, remete a um processo industrial. A sntese de industrializao, artesania e artes plsticas grita por uma leitura vinculada Bauhaus. A deciso por instalar essa parede com dezenas de obras outro gesto que invoca imagens clebres da arte construtiva, como a exposio 0,10 de 1915, quando o quadrado negro de Malievitch foi instalado na quina entre duas paredes, rente ao teto, ou fotografias do ateli de Mondrian. A instalao de vrios pequenos trabalhos em uma s parede reproduz, ainda, o prprio ateli de Sokol, em So Paulo, um laboratrio de experimentos com a cor-luz forrado com peas que deixam rastros de cor nas paredes brancas.

O que Fazer com uma Bexiga (What to Do with a Balloon), 2011 rubber on stretcher | 15 x 15 x 5 cm (each) courtesy Galerie Wuensch

Esse laboratrio foi transferido por 40 dias para a extenso branca da neve austraca no incio de 2011. Com a luz exata do sol batendo no branco-neve, Sokol captou fotografias dos rastros de objetos prosaicos de cor intensa, como bolas de latex e placas de acrlico. A cor desses objetos mancha a neve branca em algumas fotografias da srie Secret Forest, ou acende-se como uma luz de non na srie Polarlicht. Como se estivesse investigando uma fonte de energia alternativa, a artista aparece em fotos da srie Making of or not plantando usinas de cor no gelo. Em uma das fotos dessa srie o roxo da bola de vinil parece vazar no solo branco enquanto ao longe a artista carrega um objeto-reator de energia verde. A exposio conta ainda com uma srie de objetos em acrlico e PVC que formam grandes barrigas saltando da parede, as Oflias. Seriadas e justapostas, constroem um tnel cinza dentro do qual um verde fosforescente brilha como um non. Mas pura cor-luz pulsando num tnel de tempo que nos transporta a outras experincias construtivistas. Na luz perfeita e exata dessa exposio, a arte tem toda a realidade que pode ter. E eu, sem entender porque chamo de beleza a essa clareza de forma, entendo que uma forma que clareia meu caos de entendimento do mundo. Paula Braga, maio de 2011

A cor no uma mera caracterstica da borboleta; ao contrrio, a cor que se manifesta na borboleta a borboleta o corpo da cor. O ttulo dessa srie outra referncia ao heternimo de Fernando Pessoa: Passa uma borboleta por diante de mim E pela primeira vez no Universo eu reparo Que as borboletas no tm cor nem movimento, Assim como as flores no tm perfume nem cor. A cor que tem cor nas asas da borboleta, No movimento da borboleta o movimento que se move, O perfume que tem perfume no perfume da flor. A borboleta apenas borboleta E a flor apenas flor. (Alberto Caeiro)

Polarlicht (Series), Upper Austria, 2011 photographic print on acrylic | 30 x 20 cm courtesy Zipper Galeria

partial view of the artists studio, So Paulo, May 2011 courtesy the artist

Estela Sokol was born in 1979 in So Paulo, where she lives and works. In 2002, she graduated in Printmaking from Centro Universitrio Belas Artes, So Paulo. Recent solo exhibitions include Licht Konkret, Galerie Wuensch, Linz, Austria (2011); Clarabia, Pao das Artes, So Paulo, Brazil (2010); Dawn for Interiors, Bisagra Arte Contemporneo, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2010); Sol de Inverno, Palcio das Artes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2008); Halo, Galeria Virglio, So Paulo, Brazil (2007); Meio Dia e Meia, Centro Universitrio Maria Antonia, So Paulo, Brazil (2006); Lastro, Centro Cultural So Paulo, Brazil, (2003). Future solo exhibitions include Polarlicht, Bisagra Arte Contemporneo, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2011) and A Morte das Oflias, Galeria Anita Schwartz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2011), as well as participations in the III Bienal del Fin del Mundo, Ushuaia, Argentina (2011) and the XVI Bienal de Cerveira, Portugal (2011). Selected group exhibitions: Nova Escultura Brasileira, Centro Cultural Caixa Econmica Federal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2011); Arte Lusfona Contempornea, Memorial da Amrica Latina, So Paulo, Brazil (2011); Acervo, Zipper Galeria, So Paulo, Brazil (2011); Light Art Biennale, Linz, Austria (2010); Silncio, Zipper Galeria, So Paulo, Brazil (2010); Outras Perspectivas, Texprima, So Paulo, Brazil (2010); Alm do Horizonte, Galeria Amarelo Negro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2010); Vistas a Perder de Vista, Galeria Penteado, Campinas, Brazil (2010); Notas do Acervo, Galeria Anita Schwarts, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2010); De Passagem, Galeria Mendes Wood, So Paulo, Brazil (2009); Graphias, Memorial da Amrica Latina, So Paulo, Brazil (2009); Obra Menor, Ateli 397, So Paulo, Brazil (2009); Trajetrias em Processo, Galeria Anita Schwartz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2009); Nova Arte Nova, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro and So Paulo, Brazil (2009); Sete Paralelos, Casa do Olhar, Santo Andr, Brazil (2008) and BR 2005, Galeria Virglio, So Paulo, Brazil (2005). Awards: Brasil Arte Contempornea, Fundao Bienal So Paulo, Brazil (2010); Temporada de Projetos Pao das Artes, So Paulo, Brazil (2009); Edital Revelao MACC, So Paulo, Brazil (2004); Projteis FUNARTE de Arte Contempornea, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2005) and 34 Salo de Arte Contempornea Luiz Sacilotto, So Paulo, Brazil (2006).

Acknowledgements The artist would like to thank: Aircube, Paula Braga, Fbio Cimino, the Embassy of Brazil in London, Joo Guarantani, SESCSP, Carlos Vicalvi, Pablo Vilar, Winfried Wuensch and Zipper Galeria.

Ministry of External Relations Antnio de Aguiar Patriota Minister of External Relations Ruy Nunes Pinto Nogueira Secretary General of External Relations Hadil Fontes da Rocha Vianna Undersecretary General for Cooperation, Culture and Trade Promotion George Torquato Director of the Cultural Department Joaquim Pedro Penna Head of the Division for Cultural Promotion

Credits exhibition management & catalogue design Joo Guarantani translation (including poems by Alberto Caeiro/Fernando Pessoa) & revision Nadia Kerecuk printed by Aldgate Press, London Catalogue circulation: 1,500 copies texts: the author and the Embassy of Brazil in London images: the artist, the photographer (Pablo Vilar, if not otherwise stated) and the galleries Published by the Embassy of Brazil in London for the exhibition Estela Sokol: Secret Forest 10 June 15 July 2011

Embassy of Brazil in London Roberto Jaguaribe Ambassador Helena Maria Gasparian Head of the Cultural Section

Opened in 2001, Gallery 32 is an exhibition space maintained by the Embassy of Brazil in London. Hosting a varied programme of exhibitions, screenings and talks, Gallery 32s main aim is to promote Brazilian culture in all its vibrancy, with a focus on modern and contemporary art, architecture and design.

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detail of Secret Forest (Series), Upper Austria, 2011 photographic print on cotton paper | 180 x 110 cm courtesy Zipper Galeria