(Photo courtesy of Phoenix Art Museum/Art by Paulo Bruscky)“Art Is Our Last Hope” is Paulo Bruscky’s first exhibit in the U.S. He was born in Brazil in 1949 and started his career as an artist in 1964, right before Brazil's 20-year tyranny.
Early in his career, Bruscky was arrested on a few different occasions. He indulged himself in art, because he believed it could bring about a movement that would cause a social change in his country.
Outside of Brazil, Bruscky was not well known until recently.
“Art Is Our Last Hope” features his work from 1971 to 2011 and contains an array of different styles, including mail art, sound art, video and performance documentation, according to the Phoenix Art Museum.
The pieces in the exhibit are eerie, dark and even unnerving. This only fits, as his art was meant to have his audience think about the world surrounding them, and though it may have been meant for his Brazilian audience, it still resonates with everyone else.
A lot of the exhibit was initially in Portuguese but was translated to English for a U.S. audience.
Upon entering the exhibit, there are post cards hanging on the wall, possibly signifying Bruscky's desire to use art as a method of reaching out to people.
According to a New York Times review, when Bruscky opened an exhibit in Brazil early on in his career, it was immediately shut down by police, and he was taken in for questioning. The interrogator asked Bruscky, “I know that the concept of art is very open. If I put a piece of the floor on the wall, is it art?” Bruscky replied with, “If you do it, no, but if I do it, yes, it is art. That’s the big difference between you and me.”
The exhibit itself isn’t too spacious, but there is plenty of work to be showcased throughout it; many pieces will call what Nabokov called "the sob of the spine." There isn’t much color, other than on his pieces that represent the Brazilian flag.
The three-minute video at the back of the exhibit looks as though it’s straight out of a horror film.
If you get creeped-out easily, use caution when entering this exhibit. It could result in some nightmares if you delve into it too deep.
"Art Is Our Last Hope" is also exhibited in The Bronx Museum of the Arts.
Bruscky will be at the Phoenix Art Museum on Oct. 29 to speak about his work.
The exhibit will be open until Dec. 28.
Reach the reporter at danielle.kernkamp@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @danikernkamp
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