Rodrigo Braga: Abrigo de paisagem/Veículo de passagem

Trees felled by rain and abandoned cars carcasses triggered Rodrigo Braga’s (b. 1976, Manaus) creative process for his solo show at Paço das Artes, Abrigo de paisagem/Veículo de passagem, curated by the institution’s artistic director, Priscila Arantes.

The show comprises two new works, one installation and one video-performance, developed during his artistic residency at Paço das Artes. The installation is made of the root of a tree collected in the city of São Paulo, and car engines fallen in disuse. The video, created after a two days performance by the artist, will be exhibited amidst the installation elements.

Braga’s performance began by pulling an old blue Voyage, carrying gates grilles from demolished houses, next to a tree over a roundabout at the Cidade Universitária, near Paço das Artes. After unloading the grills, he constructed a sort of shelter with them, a tree house of sorts. After finishing the shelter, at night, the artist walked inside it and rested until next morning. The following day, at dawn, the performance continued: Braga left his shelter and drove his car to Fazenda Serrinha, a rural zone in Bragança Paulista (125 km from São Paulo). By nightfall, he performs the final action of the work, the construction of a new shelter, around a different tree.

Rodrigo Braga bolds a BFA degree from the Federal Unversity of Pernambuco and has been regularly exhibiting his work since 1999. In 2012, he participated in the 30th Bienal de São Paulo. In 2009, he was awarded the Marcantonio Vilaça Prize. His works can be found in private and institutions collection in Brazil and abroad, such as the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo (MAM SP) and the Maison Européene de La Photographie (Paris). He currently lives in Rio de Janeiro.