The life, work and creative process of revered masters revisited in the past five years by Itaú Cultural’s Ocupação series

Created to promote a dialogue between the new generation of artists and the masters who influenced them, the series of "occupations" at Itaú Cultural is part of the institute's steady efforts with programs such as Rumos, which has been promoting contemporary production for 17 years, collaborating with the enhancement of artists, making their work better known and reflecting on art being made nowadays

Ocupação Zuzu is the first project of the series this year and the seventeenth edition organized by the institute since 2009. This exhibition is the only one until now to take over all three floors of exhibition space at Itaú Cultural, as well as the first to deal with fashion. The series' continuity is supported by the institute's belief that the appreciation of culture and education are essential tools for building the identity of a country.

The Ocupação series was created to present the life, work and creative process of revered veterans who provide the reference and influence for new generations of artists in all areas. The preservation of artistic memory is also part of this project, such as the digitalization of the collections of major names in Brazilian culture, such as Leonilson, Jorge Andrade, Oscar Niemeyer, Flávio Império and Elomar.

This preservation effort also extends to the Itaú Cultural Encyclopedia of Brazilian Art and Culture.With approximately 8,000 entries with videos, interviews, biographies, analysis of work and much information, the encyclopedia brings together under one platform the Visual Arts, Art and Technology, Theater and Literature, Music, Film and Dance, covering the complexity of Brazil's artistic universe.

Previous Ocupações

The first exhibition of the series was devoted to Nelson Leirner. Curated by Agnaldo Farias, it featured four of the artist’s most representative works from the 1960s along with current versions updated by the artist himself, creating a sort of contemporary dialogue between the pieces. The chosen works were: Porco Empalhado, Tronco com Cadeira, Homenagem a Fontana II and Stripencores [Stuffed Pig, Trunk with Chair, Homage to Fontana II and Stripencolors].

The second artist honored was playwright José Celso Martinez Correa, curated by Marcelo Drummond. In an area of 169 square meters, the exhibition was comprised of hundreds of photos and documents, in addition to 12 representative stage sets from various time periods, 33 monitors, seven projectors and more than 160 photo frames with pictures of his childhood, family, school and even girlfriends. The artist from Araraquara’s own never seen before handwritten texts were also on display.

The third exhibition in the series was Ocupação Leminski which retraced the poet’s life through his poems, including some previously unseen ones, precious manuscripts that reveal the genesis of his anti-novel Catatau, personal statements recorded on video and musical shows.

In December 2009, it was the turn of Ocupação Abraham Palatinik, the fourth edition organized by the institute. Itaú Cultural presented 21 works by this artist who is a pioneer of kinetic and kinechromatic art. The exhibition was curated by historian Aracy Amaral.

Ocupação Chico Science opened the series in 2010. The exhibition about the precursor of Manguebeat was organized by Itaú Cultural’s Music, Communication and Production departments. The exhibition revisited the history of this music movement, which mixes regional rhythms with rock, hip hop, maracatu and electronic music to reveal the creative world of the singer from Pernambuco. The exhibition, however, was not limited to music: it also included film, the visual arts, literature, by means of posters, sculptures, record covers, photos of the artist, his friends, people, shows and places, in addition to movies, clothing, objects and an entire series of Manguebeat icons.

Next, Ocupação Rogério Sganzerla exhibited the filmmaker’s handwritten notes, original scripts, excerpts of unseen films, personal and professional photos. Joel Pizzini was the curator. Regina Silveira was the topic of the seventh occupation, created by the artist herself. The exhibition was composed of 10 models of site specific works created by Silveira between 2004 and 2007 dealing with various types of architectures.

In early 2011, it was the turn of Ocupação Haroldo de Campos – H LÁXIA.It presented the career of the “transcreator” writer, highlighting his creative process as a poet, translator and critic. Also in that same year, Ocupação Flávio Império brought to light a lesser-known facet of that multi-talented artist: works on silkscreen. This occupation blended the environment of the artist’s studio with that of the celebrations of the feast days of Saints John, Peter and Anthony, in addition to displaying 16 original master silkscreens, whose reproductions could be silkscreened by the public on fabrics provided by the institute or on any personal clothing item. The event also kick started the digitalization of the artist’s collection and the construction of the website about his life and work, with support from Itaú Cultural.

Cildo Meireles was the subject of the tenth Ocupação, showcasing a new work from the artist, rio oir, which took over the exhibition space created by the project’s curator, architect and urban planner Guilherme Wisnik and by the work's designer Noni Geiger. The work was part of a project conceived by Meireles in the 1970s and revisited at the invitation of Itaú Cultural. The execution of the work also resulted in the documentary Ouvir o Rio: Uma Escultura Sonora de Cildo Meireles [Listening to the River: A Sound Sculpture by Cildo Meireles]. This film by Marcela Lordy revealing the behind-the-scenes of the construction of the piece played at the end of the year at Itaú movie theaters in São Paulo, Brasília, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador and is still traveling around the country.

One of the top names in Brazilian dance, Ballet Stagium, a company founded by dancers Marika Gidali and Décio Otero, was the topic of the eleventh Ocupação at Itaú Cultural. Recordings of classes, rehearsals, shows and behind-the-scenes, their influences and references in Brazilian dance were portrayed in the exhibition.

Ocupação Nelson Rodrigues paid tribute to the playwright with photos from various collections; newspaper articles; posters; magazines; and sound, visual and printed interviews. The thirteenth Ocupação in the series was dedicated to cartoonist and caricaturist Angeli, displaying around 800 works – 80 of them originals – in addition to photographs of the artist with family, friends and at his place of work.

Curated by Walter Carvalho, Ocupação Antônio Nobrega took visitors on a journey through the life and work of the artist, allowing them discover his multiple passions for Brazil. Ocupação Mário de Andrade, the fourteenth edition of the series, presented more than 400 items - letters, films, photographs and objects belonging to the writer - never before shown together in an exhibition.

Filmmaker Nelson Pereira dos Santos also was one of the artists honored by Itaú Cultural by means of the projection of excerpts of his films and videos made about him. Ocupação Sérgio Britto, the last one of 2013 and the one immediately prior to Ocupação Zuzu, covered the 65-year career of the actor in a space conceived by set designer José Dias, who is also a costume designer and author of important works such as Teatro do Rio do século XVIII ao século XX [Theater in Rio from the 18th to the 20th Centuries] (Funarte) that explore the environment that the artist adored: the theater The exhibition was curated by Hermes Frederico, coordinator of Casa das Artes de Laranjeiras (CAL), and coordinated by Marilia Brito, the actor’s niece.