Art and war seem like antagonistic words, but here they come together in this interesting set of 37 Afghan carpets from the personal collection of curator Victor Nosek. 

Held by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON), the exhibition "Afghanistan - carpets of peace and war" is based on MON's permanent collection of works. Unlike other cultural institutions, a museum's role, in addition to caring for and expanding its collection, is to create dialogues between its works and the exhibitions it holds. This is one of the Museum's proposals.

It is worth remembering that MON has the largest collection of Asian art in Latin America, following the donation of thousands of works years ago by diplomat and professor Fausto Godoy, which marked a new curatorial vocation. 

Space was then made in the collection for Asian, African and Latin American art, in line with the great museums of the world, making it distinct from the Eurocentric tendency that dominates Western culture. This initiative has positioned MON among the great international museums. 

In this vein, we are now bringing to our audience the ancient tradition of Afghan tapestry, which in recent decades has incorporated war themes into its traditional designs. Both themes are presented in this new exhibition, divided into two axes: peace and war.

More than appreciating the aesthetics, the show touches us by its proposal and leads us to perceive the world through the provocative gaze of denunciation. It offers visitors this unique experience of searching for meaning and reflecting on such a complex subject through the beauty of art.

Afghanistan is one of the most politically sensitive regions on the planet. Nestled between such diverse giants as Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran and China, its geographic location not only places it at the crossroads of great civilizations but also of some of the most important religions on the planet: Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, mainly.

Afghanistan is home to a very ancient civilization, which already existed as a Persian domain when Alexander III of Macedon, the Great, walked through the region and founded Balkh, one of his most advanced outposts in Asia, in 334 BCE. Part of the population still retains physical traces of their ancestral Greeks. This same population, with equally ancestral habits, is made up of a large cast of ethnic groups and tribes that resulted from the occupation by invaders of various origins – Persians, Greeks, Mongols, etc. – throughout their history, which have instilled, both genetically and in deep-rooted traditions, values ​​and concepts that each of them defends with fierce zeal.

Proud of their roots, these ethnic groups and tribes, which are divided between the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam – approximately 90% are Sunni and 10% Shiite, roughly speaking – do not accept the preponderance of any other over them, no matter how large it may be in number, even though the Sunni Taliban, of the Pashtun ethnic group, currently dominate the government and public life and oppress other ethnic and religious groups. Afghans are even less accepting of interference from other cultures, and they remember the period when two of the largest empires of the 19th century, the Russian and the British, fought for hegemony over Central Asia in the region, which history has recorded as the “Great Game”.

It was this same spirit of resistance that was ignited in December 1979 when the Soviet Union, heeding the call of the communist government then in power in Afghanistan, invaded the country to support it in the fight against the mujahideen insurgents, made up of groups that rebelled against the oppression of the Marxist creed, which they understood to be a degradation of the values ​​of Islam. This was because the Soviets sought to impose their secular concepts, locked the mosques and prevented public worship. The resistance took on dramatic proportions when the Soviets abandoned Afghanistan in 1991, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, leaving room for the intensification of confrontations between the hardened militants who had taken refuge in the mountains that make up the country's rugged geography. At the same time, Western troops from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), led by the United States, occupied the country after the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001, which, under the leadership of Osama bin Laden, were carried out by Al Qaeda, one of the most seasoned groups of the mujahideen.

After several political episodes that followed since then, with the departure of Western troops in August 2021, the Taliban came to power in Kabul. Part of the population that resists their designs has been seeking shelter in other parts of the planet, including Brazil, which already has around five thousand refugees.

"Afghanistan - rugs of peace and war" is the new project by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON), which is on display in the Eye Tower (first floor and second floor). The exhibition was curated by collector Victor Nosek, with the collaboration of professor and diplomat Fausto Godoy.

The exhibition brings together 37 rugs from Afghanistan depicting scenes of peace and war and reflecting different moments in the country's socio-political and cultural landscape. The exhibition also features 19 pieces of Afghan jewelry that are part of the daily life of the people from the regions where the rugs were made.

Afghan tribal war rugs are part of the "art as a portrait of war" tradition. 

They are a dramatic update of this tradition. They represented the Russo-Afghan war and have been produced by various semi-nomadic pastoral tribes, whose way of life remained unchanged for centuries. 

Weaved in the highlands when the snow melted, where Afghans had gone in search of pastures for their flocks, and in their permanent homes during the winter. 

The "living" carpets are the fruit of this way of life. 

The high-quality wool was dyed with natural dyes collected during the annual migration. Weavers, in the silence of their tents, free from interference, used simple horizontal looms fixed to the ground. The traditional themes, developed from memory, without prior drawing, are characteristic of each artist. Preferably created for their own use, the surplus is sold and the proceeds used to buy carnelian jewelry, stones used to ward off the evil eye. 

At first in timid appearances within the traditional themes, tanks, helicopters, jets and grenades soon occupied the entire composition. Tribal and contemporary, the war rugs in this exhibition belong to the first ten years of that war, between 1970-1980, when pastoral nomadism was still possible. The advent of endemic famine and the annihilation of the herds made nomadism and the resulting production of quality "living" carpets impossible! 

May this exhibition contribute to reflection and humanity finally achieve the peace and progress it is destined for! 

Victor Nosek 
Collection and Curatorship 

dec. 1980
Handwoven rug made on horizontal looms using sheep and camel wool dyed with natural pigments. Mane and tail hair from horses are used for the side cords
129 x 92 cm

dec. 1960/70
Handwoven rug made on horizontal looms using sheep and camel wool dyed with natural pigments. Mane and tail hair from horses are used for the side cords
210 x 109 cm

déc. 1980
Handwoven rug made on horizontal looms using sheep and camel wool dyed with natural pigments. Mane and tail hair from horses are used for the side cords
143 x 98 cm

dec. 1980
Handwoven rug made on horizontal looms using sheep and camel wool dyed with natural pigments. Mane and tail hair from horses are used for the side cords
152 x 92 cm

dec. 1960/70
Handwoven rug made on horizontal looms using sheep and camel wool dyed with natural pigments. Mane and tail hair from horses are used for the side cords
194 x 102 cm

"Afghanistan - rugs of peace and war" is the new project at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON). The exhibition can be seen from October 24 at the Eye Tower (first floor and second floor). The exhibition was curated by collector Victor Nosek, with the collaboration of professor and diplomat Fausto Godoy.

The exhibition brings together 37 rugs from Afghanistan depicting scenes of peace and war and reflecting different moments in the country's socio-political and cultural landscape. The exhibition will also feature 19 pieces of Afghan jewelry that are part of the daily life of the people in the regions where the rugs were made.

"Today, a museum is not just a place for preservation, but a space for dialog and reflection. The Oscar Niemeyer Museum exemplifies this role with a collection that ranges from art to historical and anthropological items, expanding the physical barriers of what a museum space is," says Luciana Casagrande Pereira, Paraná's Secretary of State for Culture. 

"Our aim is also to broaden cultural references. In this way, MON highlights the richness of Asian and African cultures, which make up one of the largest specialized collections in the Americas, presented both in long-term exhibitions and in itinerant exhibitions throughout Paraná," says the secretary.

MON director Juliana Vosnika says that the exhibition is an opportunity for visitors to see the ancient tradition of Afghan tapestry up close. "It's worth remembering that MON has the largest collection of Asian art in Latin America, following the donation of thousands of works years ago by diplomat and professor Fausto Godoy, which marked a new curatorial vocation," he says. 

Space was then made in the collection for Asian, African and Latin American art, in line with the great museums of the world, making it distinct from the Eurocentric tendency that dominates Western culture. This initiative has positioned the Oscar Niemeyer Museum among the great international museums. 

"In this vein, we are now bringing to our audience the ancient tradition of Afghan tapestry, which in recent decades has incorporated war themes into its traditional designs," says Juliana. Both themes are presented in this new exhibition, divided into two axes: peace and war.

Fausto Godoy, who served as Brazil's ambassador to Afghanistan for around two years, talks about the political importance of the exhibition, and curator Victor Nosek explains that the rugs that reflect the theme of peace are the oldest, and represent pastoral scenes, nature in general or geometric shapes. 

Tribal and contemporary, the war rugs reflect the period between 1970-1980 and will be exhibited separately on the second floor of the Tower. "We need to look at them, perceive that aesthetic and reflect on how it is possible to create beauty in war," says Godoy.

He points out that Afghanistan is one of the most politically sensitive regions on the planet. "Nestled between giants as diverse as Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran and China, its geographical location not only places it at the crossroads of great civilizations, but also of some of the most important religions on the planet: Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, in particular," he says.

The collector and curator of the exhibition explains that Afghan tribal war rugs are part of the tradition: art as a portrait of war. "They are a dramatic update of this tradition," says Nosek. 

According to him, these pieces represent the early years of the Russo-Afghan war and were produced by different semi-nomadic pastoral tribes, whose way of life remained unchanged for centuries. "May this exhibition contribute to reflection and humanity finally achieve the peace and progress to which it is destined," says the curator.

Afghanistan - rugs of peace and war

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Find out more about this exhibition on the Google Arts & Culture platform.

Each exhibition held by MON in its iconic Eye is unique. What the public sees is always the sum of the talent of a great artist - in this case, the contemporary French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel - and a unique and stunning exhibition space, considered a work of art in itself, designed by the master Oscar Niemeyer.

Over more than two decades, several important exhibitions have been held there. However, each of them takes on a unique character, with great drama and strength, always attracting thousands of visitors.

This time, Othoniel's genius surpasses all expectations by transforming the exhibition room into a sort of planetarium, with the signs of the zodiac floating in the form of 12 blown glass sculptures. On the floor, the artist installed a sea of blue glass bricks that reflect both the constellation and the arch imagined by the architect. An astonishing combination.

Othoniel's first major solo exhibition in Brazil was built in the midst of this poetic and enchanting memory that evokes our origin and essence. When we connect with the sky and the stars, we reflect.

As if it didn't just fit inside the Museum's exhibition space, Othoniel's work spills out. At the foot of the Eye building, the public will see large abstract sculptures, inspired by flowers, that float in the water mirror, causing a surreal effect.

One of the Museum's premises is to provide inspiring and transformative experiences, establishing dialogues between the public and art. 

Juliana Vellozo Almeida Vosnika
CEO of the Oscar Niemeyer Museum

The eye of night is blue, and its constellations are the colors of the rainbow. With this exhibition, the Eye, the largest exhibition room in the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, becomes a planetarium where my suspended glass sculptures evoke the signs of the zodiac. The space is plunged into darkness, and my works in mirror and colored glass reflect Oscar Niemeyer's delirious architecture. The room is an immense eye of glass, concrete and steel, hanging like an eagle's nest 20 meters above the ground, over a mirror of water, and is the last museum designed by this great genius of Brazilian architecture for the capital of Paraná. I love psychedelic architecture, and this exhibition is a challenge to madness, dreams and the stars.

For the Eye, I designed 12 suspended cosmic mobiles, built like intertwined glass beads. They resemble the movement of the stars in Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. These 12 constellation sculptures are reflected in the museum's glass walls and in a sea of 6,000 aquamarine blue glass bricks on the floor. 

Below this imaginary body of water, a real water mirror houses five large sculptures inspired by the natural world so present in Paraná.  Giant flowers covered in gold leaf, like astrolabes, mix their reflections with those of the architect's eye.

These reflections in a golden eye follow the energy lines created by Niemeyer. When I was a young artist, I was lucky enough to meet Oscar one evening at his house in Rio, overlooking the beach and the night sky. The memory of gazing at the stars with him through a large window, as if facing the curved universe of Brasilia, left a deep impression on me. It was on this poetic memory that my first major solo exhibition in Brazil was built.

“O Olho da Noite”, by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, is a production by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum. The exhibition features works in the Olho, in the Araucária Spaces 1 and 2 and in the external area (water mirror). The curator is Marc Pottier.

Othoniel’s genius surpasses all expectations by transforming the Olho exhibition room into a kind of large planetarium, with the signs of the zodiac floating in the form of 12 sculptures in blown glass.

In total, the exhibition presents 25 large-scale works. The sculptures are made of various materials, such as: mirrored glass and stainless steel, mirrored glass and wood, and steel and gold leaf.

For Jean-Michel Othoniel, the marvelous is the challenge of this century. “The Eye of the Night”, in the Museum’s emblematic “eye”, its twelve cosmic mobiles represent the signs of the zodiac. They recall the movement of the stars as they are reflected in the museum’s glass walls and also in a sea, formed by six thousand aquamarine-colored glass bricks placed on the floor. But before that, the visitor will have discovered in the external water mirrors, four large sculptures inspired by nature. They are gigantic flowers covered in gold leaf, which, like astrolabes, mix their reflections, complicit, with the gaze of the great Brazilian architect. The artist transforms the MON into an enormous planetarium with his celestial mathematics that refers to the universe and infinity. The title of the exhibition evokes a universe imbued with surrealism and literature. “I have the feeling that Brazil is a country of stories, of encounters, where the marvelous coexists with reality, where color coexists with black. And in this exhibition I would like to evoke all these antagonistic feelings, all these emotions that are so rich, ready to be explored in this culture that I am discovering”, confides the artist.

He thought of this mobile installation as a dance in the skies, which would force us to raise our eyes, to look up into the air, to raise our heads, and thus feel a sense of elevation. Jean-Michel has always defended this notion of enchantment, of the marvelous, of infinity, of the cosmos, which are some of the keys to distancing ourselves a little from reality, while remaining aware of our fragility in the universe.

Othoniel also wanted to place sculptures, inspired by flowers, in the water mirrors outside the buildings. Just like Niemeyer’s construction, which would be inspired by the araucaria, a symbolic tree of the Paraná region, he insisted that his lotuses rise above the water, showing their reflections through the gold leaves and mirrors. These sculptures are a tribute to Niemeyer’s passion for botany.

Jean-Michel Othoniel - The Eye Of The Night

Mirored glass and stainless steel
108 x 87 x 63 cm
Artist's collection

Mirored glass and stainless steel
112 x 118 x 56 cm
Artist's collection

Mirored glass and stainless steel
89 x 71 x 46 cm
Artist's collection

Stainless steel
85 x 156 x 80 cm
Artist's collection

Stainless steel
128 x 152 x 61 cm
Artist's collection

O Olho da Noite: a "planetarium" by Jean-Michel Othoniel specially designed for MON as a tribute to Oscar Niemeyer

"O Olho da Noite", by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, is the next major international exhibition at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON). The exhibition will be inaugurated on November 22, MON's anniversary day, and will feature works in the Eye, in the Araucária Spaces 1 and 2 and in the outdoor area (water mirror). The curator is Marc Pottier.

"It's an immense joy to welcome an exclusive exhibition of such magnitude by Jean-Michel Othoniel to MON, celebrating the Museum's anniversary and strengthening the great cultural dialog between Paraná and France," says the Secretary of State for Culture, Luciana Casagrande Pereira.

"Each exhibition held by MON in its iconic Eye is unique. What the public sees is always the sum of the talent of a great artist, in this case the contemporary French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, with a unique and dazzling exhibition space, considered in itself a work of art, designed by the master Oscar Niemeyer," explains MON's director, Juliana Vosnika. 

"Othoniel's genius exceeds all expectations when he transforms the exhibition room into a kind of large planetarium, with the signs of the zodiac floating in the form of 12 blown glass sculptures," she says. 

On the floor, the public will see a sea of blue glass bricks that reflect both the constellation and the arch imagined by the architect, in a surprising combination.

"As if it didn't just fit inside the Museum's exhibition space, Othoniel's work spills out. At the foot of the Eye building, the public will see large abstract sculptures, inspired by flowers, which float in the water mirror, causing a surreal effect," says Juliana. She explains that this has been a premise of the Museum: to break physical boundaries and go beyond the places originally intended for exhibitions, invading other spaces. 

In total, the exhibition features 25 large-scale works. The sculptures are made of different materials, such as mirrored glass and stainless steel, mirrored glass and wood, and steel and gold leaf.

The curator explains that the title of the exhibition evokes the shape of the building where the exhibition room is located. "The exceptional building and this elevated 'eye', built by Niemeyer, is a much more complex place than it seems, despite the simplicity of its design," comments Pottier. "The ceiling is curved and the walls on both sides are made of glass, as if they were suspended above the ground."

Pottier explains the choice to install large abstract sculptures, inspired by flowers, in the outdoor water mirror. "Just like Niemeyer's building, which was to be inspired by the Araucaria, the symbolic tree of the Paraná region, he made sure that his lotuses rose above the water, showing off their reflections," he says. These sculptures, which are monumental, seem relatively small compared to the gigantism of the building and are a tribute to Niemeyer's passion for botany."

Jean-Michel Othoniel says that when he was a young artist, he had the opportunity to meet Oscar Niemeyer in person at the architect's house in Rio de Janeiro. "The memory of gazing at the stars with him through a large window, as if I were facing the curved universe of Brasilia, left a deep impression on me," he says. "It was on this poetic memory that my first major solo exhibition in Brazil was built," says the artist.

Jean-Michel Othoniel (France, 1964) is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Paris. A multidisciplinary artist since the late 1980s, Othoniel has worked in various fields: from drawing to sculpture, installation to photography and writing to performance. In 1993, he started using glass, which became his mark.

Since his first public commission in Paris in 2000, "Le Kiosque des Noctambules", his work has been exhibited in both museums and public spaces. Among them, the project of golden glass fountain sculptures in the gardens of the Château de Versailles, "Les Belles Danses", and "Alfa", an installation for the new Qatar National Museum, with 114 fountain sculptures. In 2019, a new series of paintings entered the permanent collection of the Louvre Museum.

Jean-Michel Othoniel has held major exhibitions all over the world since his participation in the Kassel Documenta in 1992. He had an important retrospective at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris: “My Way”. It has been exhibited at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art/Plateau in Seoul, the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, the Macau Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum in New York. 

In recent years, Othoniel has exhibited in museums and gardens at the Petit Palais in Paris, the Seoul Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. His works are currently in some of the world's most renowned contemporary art museums, foundations and private collections.

“The Eye of the Night”, by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, is a production by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum. The exhibition features works in the Olho, in the Araucária Spaces 1 and 2 and in the external area (water mirror). The curator is Marc Pottier.

More than celebrating the centenary of this artist from Curitiba, who is one of the main names in the arts in the State and the Country, the exhibition “Trilhos e Traços – Poty 100 anos” (“Tracks and Traces – Poty 100 years”), held by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON), becomes a reference point for Poty Lazzarotto.

From now on, visitors to MON, especially the hundreds of students from public and private schools who visit the Museum daily, will certainly be able to find out more and get to know this brilliant artist better.

It is also an opportunity for the viewer to delve into Poty's life and work. This immersion in such vast content, gathered here, increases the repertoire, instigating a new perspective about the artist.

Recently, the Museum added the largest collection ever donated to the institution to its collection: approximately 4 thousand works of art signed by him. An excerpt of this can now be seen in this exhibition. Thus, the central axis of this building becomes the stage for the largest collections received by MON, alongside Asian and African art exhibitions.

The donation of Poty's work, generously made by the artist's family, brought to the Museum, in 2022, more than 3 thousand drawings and 366 engravings, in addition to tapestries, carvings, silkscreens, and sculptures. These are works that further enrich MON's collection, which in recent years has increased fivefold in size, consolidating the Museum as one of the most important in Latin America. 

Being the institution that preserves Poty's legacy is a source of pride, joy, and responsibility. In this exhibition, we share some of these feelings, translated by the artist's unmistakable traits. Belonging here has a full name: Poty Lazzarotto.

Juliana Vellozo Almeida Vosnika 
Director-President of the Oscar Niemeyer Museum

"A alma se expressa com mais claridade através do rosto [The soul expresses itself most clearly through the face] (Simmel)." We find this depth in Poty's portraits. They are expressive and agitated images: they have an actual existence, and there is no room for impersonality. Icons that surprise natural and social reality, ranging from realism to caricature. They are precise strokes and economic lines that synthesize the subject's personality in small details. The macambúzio (sullen) Bakun contrasts with the artist's energetic self-portraits. Poty, looking at himself, reveals the individuality of a firm and direct man, given to few daydreams - and human, all too human.

Born in a modest wooden house in Capanema, raised on the railroad tracks that passed in front of his home, with a father who was a railroad worker, a mother who was a cook, and a grandfather who was a carpenter, Poty developed a passion for humble workers that he cherished throughout his life, even after living in metropolises such as Rio de Janeiro and Paris. His drawings and engravings reflect his passion for the working man, both the day-to-day hard worker, especially the railway worker, the "polaca's" carts, the street vendors, the drivers of the open streetcars and the pub owners, and the simple man in everyday life: at church parties, workers' societies, the Cine Morgenau, the game of truco, all celebrating life. Poty sees work much more as fulfillment than hardship and alienation. In this poetic work, we find St. Francis's energy, Goya's courageous strokes, and Käthe Kollwitz's tenderness. Delicacy and social character, dignity, and humanity.

Poty celebrates the indigenous wisdom of nature and myths. Amid the countless languages and rich rituals, he gathers the born artist in the basketry, the stools, the bows and arrows, the body painting, the masks, and even the superficial knots and the architecture of the huts. Poty's Upper Xingu drawings in the still extensive Amazon Rainforest of the 1960s (1967/68) are a eulogy to nature, to Rousseau's good savage. They do justice to the overflowing intellectual and intuitive imagination of the locals.

"O mundo profano é o universo das interdições, enquanto o mundo sagrado corresponde ao das transgressões [The profane world is the universe of interdictions, while the sacred world corresponds to that of transgressions] (Bataille)." Poty's saints are well known, especially St. Francis, whom he has drawn, carved, and engraved countless times. The traces of the sacred, the communication with the metaphysical present in Poty's soul, lead him to a religion in the sense of religar, from the Latin religare, which celebrates human understanding. So, you don't necessarily have to be linked to a religion praising the gods to be religious. The aura, if there is one, is the one that involves connecting with others, the practice of humanism. Inspired by Saint Francis, Poty celebrates nature and the human person.

Immersing yourself in Poty's drawings and engravings means traveling through the daily life of provincial Curitiba. From the scenes of the "polacas'" carts, workers going to the trade by bicycle, disasters on the railroad, fights in the bars, the floods in the city center, the children flying kites, the Queirolo Brothers' Circus, and Didi Caillet's glorious return, to the procession of children running after Father Maurício's trolley, which handed out candies to attract the little ones to the Holy Office. He also extended his gaze to other places: his strokes slipped through the maritime scenes of Bahia, the churches and saints of Ouro Preto, and the sculptures of Chartres and Paris cathedrals. An eternal traveler, Poty combines nostalgic Curitiba with the discovery of the world.

Since the beginning of his artistic activity, Poty has always been a narrator, creating images to tell stories. As a child, he made comic strips inspired by American models; as a teenager, he created images of violence and fantasy inspired by authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and William Shakespeare. The cinema, also a form of narration through images, was another decisive influence on his work: as a child, he used to go to the old cinema at the Morgenau Club and then draw the scenes that stuck in his memory. Poty became a book illustrator at a young age: from 1943 until the end of his life, he illustrated more than 170 titles by Brazilian and foreign authors. With his love of cinema, he also produced a masterful series of drawings in the style of classic movie posters - drawing as an extension of the seventh art.

"Na galeria dos nossos grandes (mas muito poucos) ilustradores de nossos livros (numerosos, mas ainda muito poucos), nunca a fusão verbo-ícone atinge tão intrínseca adequação: nunca um ilustrador, entre nós, foi tão ilustrador, tão capaz de dizer o que as palavras não sabiam ou não podiam. [In the gallery of our great (but very few) illustrators of our books (numerous, but still very few), never has the verb-icon fusion reached such an intrinsic adequacy: never has an illustrator, among us, been so illustrative, so capable of saying what words did not know or could not.]" (Antônio Houaiss)

Poty's first public mural was in Praça 19 de Dezembro, on the occasion of the Centenary of the Emancipation of Paraná, in 1953, in a more realistic style. Since then, he has created many public works, which are present in several Brazilian cities, and has also reached Europe, with works in the Algarve, Portugal, and Paris. Public murals were an extension of engraving for the artist due to their ability to bring his art to a broader audience. In his public work, Poty uses sophisticated techniques to assemble and articulate symbolic elements to represent human history, the development of cities, the arts, knowledge, and technology. For those who visit Curitiba, we invite you to find Poty's murals in the city: like the rain and the pine trees, they are part of the Curitiba landscape.

"Cabe a cada menino guardar, para todo o sempre, um instante daquele voo de silêncio e fúria, de ruído e paz... [It is up to each child to keep, forever and ever, an instant of that flight of silence and fury, of noise and peace...]" (Valêncio Xavier)

The exhibition “Trilhos e Traços – Poty 100 anos” (“Tracks and Traces – Poty 100 years”), held by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON), has approximately 500 works, a sample of the donation of 4 thousand works made by the artist’s family to the Museum, in 2022. Curated by Maria José Justino and Fabricio Vaz Nunes, it celebrates the centenary of Poty Lazzarotto (1924-1998).

In the exhibition, the works were organized around nine thematic groups present in Poty's artistic career, representing his different facets: the Narrator, the Work, the Xingu, the Sacred, the War, the Daily Life, the Traveler, the Muralist, and the Portraitist.

Poty, an artist from Curitiba? No: Poty, artist of the world. The premise of this exhibition is to show one of Curitiba's most essential artists in his universal dimension. We are celebrating the centenary of Poty Lazzarotto's birth by bringing to the public a wide selection of his works, which were recently donated to MON by Mr. Lazzarotto. João Geraldo Lazzarotto, the artist's brother. In this exhibition, the pieces have been organized around nine thematic nuclei present in his work, representative of the different facets of the artist: o Narrador (the Narrator), o Trabalho (the Work), the Xingu, o Sagrado (the Sacred), a Guerra (the War), o Cotidiano (Everyday Life), o Viajante (the Traveller), o Muralista (the Muralist) and o Retratista (the Portraitist). But Poty, the "piá" (kid) from Capanema who loved movies and comic books, is even more than all that. Through drawing, his primary means of expression, he approached the most varied themes, passing through different styles, always seeking to take art to its most important destination: the people. In his constant and obstinate artistic activity, he showed the real world of work and social reality; he recreated, in images, the creative universe of literature; in his murals, he shaped the great adventure of universal history. Always seeking to make art popular, he went from engraving to illustration, from tiny drawings to monumental murals. In the simplicity of his drawing, with his human and poignant vision of the human experience in all its dimensions, Poty created a vast collective imaginary: in his trails and strokes, we travel the world.

A exposição “Trilhos e Traços – Poty 100 anos”, realizada pelo Museu Oscar Niemeyer (MON), reúne aproximadamente 500 obras, um recorte da doação de 4 mil peças realizada pela família do artista ao Museu, em 2022. Com curadoria de Maria José Justino e Fabricio Vaz Nunes, comemora o centenário de Poty Lazzarotto (1924-1998).

MON holds a grand exhibition celebrating the hundred years of Poty Lazzarotto

The Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) is holding the grand exhibition “Trilhos e Traços – Poty 100 anos” (“Tracks and Traces – Poty 100 years”), to celebrate the centenary of Poty Lazzarotto (1924-1998). Curated by Maria José Justino and Fabricio Vaz Nunes, the exhibition brings together approximately 500 works, a portion of the donation of 4,000 pieces made by the artist's family to the Museum, in 2022. The opening will be on April 11th, at 7 pm, in Room 6.

"Poty, in its centenary, remains current, incomparable, and this new exhibition reinforces the importance of the artist to the cultural identity of Paraná. I am sure that the exhibition at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum will introduce his unique work to thousands of people and also to new generations", says Luciana Casagrande Pereira, Secretary of State for Culture of Paraná.

“More than celebrating the centenary of this artist from Curitiba, who is one of the main names in the arts in the State and the Country, the exhibition becomes a place of reference for Poty Lazzarotto”, says the director-president of MON, Juliana Vosnika.

“From now on, visitors to MON, especially the hundreds of students from public and private schools who visit the Museum every day, will certainly be able to learn more and get to know this genius of the arts better”, she comments.

The exhibition is also an opportunity for viewers to delve deeper into Poty’s life and work. “By providing an immersion in such vast content, gathered here, MON encourages the public to expand their repertoire by taking a new look at this unique artist”, says Juliana.

The premise of the exhibition, according to the curators, is to extrapolate regional borders and present Poty in its universal dimension. “In his ceaseless and obstinate artistic activity, he recreated, in images, the creative universe of literature; in his murals, he created the great adventure of universal history”, they inform. “Always seeking popular dissemination of art, he went from engraving to illustration, from tiny drawings to monumental murals.”

In the exhibition, the works were organized around nine thematic groups present in Poty's artistic career, representing his different facets: the Narrator, the Work, the Xingu, the Sacred, the War, the Daily Life, the Traveler, the Muralist, and the Portraitist. “But Poty, the boy from Capanema who loved cinema and comic books, is even more than all of that,” say the curators.

On March 29, Curitiba's birthday – and coincidentally, Poty Lazzarotto's birth date – MON received the largest collection ever donated to the institution: approximately 4.5 thousand works. The year was 2022. This collection has more than 3,000 drawings and 366 engravings, as well as tapestries, carvings, screen prints, and sculptures, among others. The donation was made directly by João Lazzarotto, brother of the artist.

These are works that further enrich MON's collection, which in recent years has increased fivefold in size, consolidating the Museum as one of the most important in Latin America.

A selection of Poty's vast collection can be seen in this exhibition. Thus, the central axis of the Museum building becomes the stage for the largest collections received by MON, alongside displays of Asian and African art.

Poty Lazzarotto (Curitiba, 1924-1998) followed his path through drawing, then delving deeper into engraving, of which he became a master, being the creator of the first engraving course at the São Paulo Museum of Art (Masp). Much of his production is biographical, ranging from boyhood memories around railway tracks and train carriages to records of Curitiba types and the settings they inhabit.

 Poty is direct and straightforward in his drawings and engravings. It was with this spontaneous characteristic that he illustrated various works of Brazilian literature, such as Os Sertões (Rebellion in the Backlands), by Euclides da Cunha, and Grande Sertão: Veredas (The Devil to Pay in the Backlands), by Guimarães Rosa. He could also not have failed to give life to the controversial people from Curitiba portrayed in the stories of another icon from Paraná, Dalton Trevisan. 

 As if his presence in literature were not enough, Poty left his mark throughout Curitiba through his monuments or tile and exposed concrete panels, a practice that began with the panel “Desenvolvimento Histórico do Paraná” (Historical development of Paraná), in 1953, at 19 de Outubro Square. Other examples of this production are the panels on Nestor de Castro Street, in which he shows, on one side, a scene from a Curitiba that no longer exists, and, on the other, the evolution of the city, which emerged amid pine forests, inhabited by immigrants, and which stands out in the field of urbanism.

 The collection donated to the Oscar Niemeyer Museum relates to this entire production. In it we can find originals so often reproduced in books and other publications about the artist, we come into contact with the drawings he made on his expedition to the Xingu, in 1967, and we enter the intimacy of an almost unknown Poty. Furthermore, we still find sketches, projects, and studies, and we can see the evolution of the trait, from its youth to maturity. Therefore, the collection constitutes true ethnographic material about this artist. 

 Donated to MON by Poty Lazzarotto's family, the collection also includes, of course, consummate works, drawings, woodcuts, lithographs, metal engravings, wood carvings, and concrete blocks: thousands of pieces that give clear testimony to the versatility of this artist. Through Poty, we learned about the art that was made and is being made in Paraná.

 Preserving not only the legacy of this artist, but his memory, is above all a duty – a task assumed and adequately carried out, now, by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum.

A exposição “Trilhos e Traços – Poty 100 anos”, realizada pelo Museu Oscar Niemeyer (MON), reúne aproximadamente 500 obras, um recorte da doação de 4 mil peças realizada pela família do artista ao Museu, em 2022. Com curadoria de Maria José Justino e Fabricio Vaz Nunes, comemora o centenário de Poty Lazzarotto (1924-1998).

Na mostra, as obras foram organizadas em torno de nove núcleos temáticos presentes na trajetória artística de Poty, representativos das suas diferentes facetas: o Narrador, o Trabalho, o Xingu, o Sagrado, a Guerra, o Cotidiano, o Viajante, o Muralista e o Retratista.  

Trilhos e Traços – Poty 100 anos

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The arrival of the Asian collection at MON years ago elevated the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) to the level of major international museums. The exhibition "Asia: the Land, the Men, the Gods", which presents a cross-section of this collection, donated by diplomat Fausto Godoy, has already been reformulated and has toured the interior of the state of Paraná, reaching thousands of people. 

Now, in a bold and unique way, the exhibition is being renewed with the aim of reaching an ever wider audience, further democratizing access to this rich collection.

We see the museum as a living, dynamic space with an eternal exchange between visitors, artists and curators. This time, MON's intention is to bring about a dialog between classical Asian art and contemporary artists from that continent. 

Contemporary art seeks to show us that there can always be beauty in imperfections and processes. We are all in constant mutation and art is a path towards the shifting balance that is life. 

How to be in harmony with impermanence is the proposal of this intervention at the Asian show. Among other new features, the public will find immersive real-time experiences, an interactive video library, a video installation and a "Virtual Museum" with 16 works by 12 Asian artists. In this way, MON maintains its premise of offering unique and transformative experiences to visitors.

Competed for by other institutions in Brazil and by collectors from abroad, MON's Asian collection consists of 3,000 pieces of art and, when it arrived, provoked a discussion about the definition of a new curatorial line by the Museum's cultural council. 

This was when space was opened up in the collection, with an emphasis also on Asian, African and Latin American art, in line with the great museums of the world, making it distinct from the Eurocentric tendency that dominates Western culture.

A museum exists on the basis of its collection, but it is through the interaction between the public and its works that culture and knowledge are disseminated, assets that make us more human.

Juliana Vellozo Almeida Vosnika 
CEO of the Oscar Niemeyer Museum

2. The experience is not recommended for people with the following health conditions: nausea, dizziness, balance or mobility problems, seizures, epilepsy, heart problems, anxiety or other medical problems sensitive to immersive experiences.

- Sanitize your hands before and after using the equipment;

- Make sure the goggles are adjusted correctly for clarity and comfort;

- Proper adjustment of the equipment should not cause pressure on the head and face.

5. Warning: if you feel discomfort, dizziness, nausea or any other symptom, remove the equipment and stop the activity immediately.

6. Secure loose items, such as bags or glasses, to prevent them from falling or being damaged during the experiment.

7. During the activity, loss of spatial awareness may occur. Observe the safety limits of the space and avoid sudden or large movements so as not to hit other visitors.

Text with instructions on how the visitor interacts with the Virtual Museum

I am a South Korean artist currently living in Paris. 

This is an interactive installation called "je(u)." In French, "je" means "I," while "jeu" means "game," thus creating a double meaning. 

In this project, the "I," often perceived as solid both physically and psychologically, becomes fluid, transient, ephemeral, and ghostly. 

When visitors enter the detection zone of the installation, they initially see their own image before them. However, shortly after, this image begins to dissolve and gradually transforms into particles. These fragments of ourselves remain in the virtual space even after we leave, merging with others, transforming, creating new forms and landscapes, and interacting with each other. 

The traces of ourselves persist in the virtual space, where the program collects the colors of visitors' clothes. As a result, the colors of the particles gradually change according to the colors of the participants' clothes. 

The visitors' movements generate a dance of particles in the virtual world. The traces left by others communicate with the visitor, blending into each other. Each of us extends into the other, and each of them lives partly within us. 

There is no clear boundary between "you" and "me". Thus, "je (me)" becomes "jeu (game)", because the definition of the self emerges through interaction. Identity becomes a social and cultural game. 

The concept of self becomes an improvisation with elements external to us, within a limited scenario, similar to the society in which we live. This "jeu (game)" of "je (me)" is at the same time our reality and an illusion. We become an illusory spectacle that continually evolves, disappears and recreates itself. 

At the same time, everything we see in this installation is ultimately a mirage, an image shaped by the interpretation of the brain and the limits of perception. I wanted to create a project of an ephemeral nature, constantly evolving, that speaks of many things while simultaneously saying nothing, like a game.

MON renews Asian exhibition in a dialog with contemporary art from that continent

"Living in harmony with impermanence", curated by Géraldine Lenain, is the new edition of the exhibition "Asia: the Earth, Men, Gods", organized by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum and on show in Room 5.

Among other novelties, the public will find immersive experiences in real time, a library of interactive videos, video installations and a "Virtual Museum" with 16 works by 12 Asian artists. In this way, MON maintains its premise of offering unique and transformative experiences to visitors.

Impermanence is one of the founding principles of Buddhist philosophy. It means that nothing is immutable. In other words, everything is constantly moving. We must therefore adapt to the inevitable changes in our environment. And consequently review our certainties, our behaviors and our habits. Impermanence is as old as time in Asia and still relevant today.

The theme takes on its full meaning in the dialogue between Fausto Godoy’s collection of classical Asian art and the works of Asian contemporary artists. Aika Videos library / Aika virtual museum / DSL Video of moving landscape / Jisoo virtual interaction / Jisoo performances illustrate this moving process. Everything is always in motion.

Living in harmony with the notion of impermanence does not mean condemning yourself to despair and depression, it means remembering daily the miracle and the beauty of this life that is offered to us. No one knows when they will leave this world. The invitation is therefore to fully savor all the blessings of existence while we still can. There is no time to waste in rejoicing and celebrating life.

The wabi-sabi Japanese concept, a pillar in Fausto’s Godoy’s collection, celebrates the beauty of imperfection and impermanence, a reflection of the cycle of life. It is a principle according to which harmony lies in naturalness and spontaneity and not in the absence of defects. Thus, asymmetry, impermanence, imbalances, incomplete shapes and breaks come to sublimate things. Wabi-sabi is the fullness that we feel when we contemplate a natural landscape, an irregular-looking terracotta bowl or even when we savor a wine that has improved over the years.

Jisoo Yoo
Interactive installation
Variable dimensions

Guerra Sino Japonesa: Capitão Asakawa Migita Toshihide (1862 – 1925)

Recipiente com inscrições do Alcorão 

"Living in harmony with impermanence", curated by Géraldine Lenain, is the new edition of the exhibition "Asia: the Land, the Men, the Gods", organized by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON), on display in Room 5.

Luciana Casagrande Pereira, Paraná's Secretary of State for Culture, notes that the renewal of the Asian exhibition reinforces MON's commitment to offering the public a broad and diverse cultural experience. "This exhibition invites us to reflect on impermanence, transformation, and for the first time since the Asian collection arrived at MON, there will be an integration between the past and the contemporary, which should really excite the public," she says.

"The arrival of the Asian collection at MON years ago raised MON to the level of the great international museums," says the institution's director, Juliana Vosnika. The exhibition, which presents a cross-section of this collection, donated by diplomat Fausto Godoy, has already been reformulated and has toured the state of Paraná, reaching thousands of people. 

"Now, in a bold and unique way, the exhibition is being renewed, with the aim of reaching an ever wider audience, further democratizing access to this rich collection," she says. This time, MON's intention is to create a dialog between classical Asian art and contemporary artists from that continent. 

"Contemporary art seeks to show us that there can always be beauty in imperfections and processes. We're all constantly changing, and art is a path to the shifting balance that is life," says Juliana. 

How to be in harmony with impermanence is the proposal of this intervention at the Asian show. Among other new features, the public will find immersive experiences in real time, an interactive video library, a video installation and a "Virtual Museum" with 16 works by 12 Asian artists. In this way, MON maintains its premise of offering unique and transformative experiences to visitors.

"Impermanence is one of the fundamental principles of Buddhist philosophy. This means that nothing is unchanging, everything is in constant movement," says the curator. We therefore need to adapt to the inevitable changes in our environment and, consequently, review our certainties, our behaviors and our habits. "In Asia, impermanence is as old as time, and it's still relevant today," says Geraldine.

She explains that the work "My house in the air", a performance by Korean artist Jisoo Yoo, which is part of the exhibition, presents a familiar space (the house) in an ephemeral and unstable way. "In his work, uncertainty and fragility are not necessarily negative. As Buddha said, there is nothing constant except change," she says. 

The Asian contemporary intervention also presents the virtual exhibition "Like a wheel inside a wheel", curated by Martina Köppel-Yang, which brings together works that address the notion of change and impermanence. 

The works presented in the exhibition approach this subject from different angles and in different media: sculpture, photography, video and painting. The aspect of agency is more prevalent in the works of Adel Abdessemed, Chen Zhen, Shen Yuan, Tian Dexi and Zheng Guogu, while An Xiaotong, Chen Shaoxiong, Jia Aili, Jin Jiangbo, Wang Du, Wang Qingsong and Yang Jiechang address other facets, such as memory, loss and visions of harmony and beauty.

The artists represented in this show are: Adel Abdessemed, An Xiaotong, Chen Zhen, Chen Shaoxiong, Jia Aili, Jin Jiangbo, Shen Yuan, Tian Dexi, Wang Du, Wang Qingsong, Yang Jiechang and Zheng Guogu.

The interactive library brings following videos: "Jiang Nan Poem" (2005), by Qiu Anxiong, which combines traditional Chinese visuals of tree branches, birds and space, using subtle shifts between static and dynamic elements to create a temporal and spatial relationship.

"Post Pause" (2004), by Jiang Zhi, presents a poetic and dreamlike narrative set on a quiet morning in Shenzhen, mixing everyday urban life with the artist's intersection of poetics and sociology.

"Joss" (2013), by Cheng Ran, with critical-social comments on Chinese cultural globalization with a stylized critical cinema.

"Speech" (2005), by Li Songhua, features a young Chinese man reading a speech about China's glorious economic future. And finally, the video "Wing and Water - Zheng Guogu", stars contemporary Chinese artist Zheng Guogu and is directed by Felicitas Yang.

There is also the DSL Collection, with "Phantom Landscape" (2009), an animated film by Yang Yongliang, which mixes urban growth with modern life and stagnant cultural traditions.

Competed for by other institutions in Brazil and by collectors from abroad, MON's Asian collection consists of 3,000 works of art. When it arrived in 2018, there was a discussion about the definition of a new curatorial line by the Museum's cultural council. 

The Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) is a state heritage site linked to the State Secretariat for Culture. The institution houses important references of national and international artistic production in the areas of visual arts, architecture and design, as well as large Asian and African collections. In total, the collection has approximately 14,000 works of art, housed in a space of more than 35,000 square meters, making MON the largest art museum in Latin America.

"Living in harmony with impermanence"
From November 22
Room 5
www.museuoscarniemeyer.org.br

Asia: Living in harmony with impermanence

The exhibition at Curitiba's MON reveals a completely different angle on the artist and presents some of his travel diaries in an avant-première.

Zerbini began his travel diaries in 2014. They are works in acrylic paint or watercolors. Most of the time, Luiz uses small canvases on chassis, opting instead for notebooks for his watercolors. These small works give you a direct relationship with the landscape. 

With "Cochicho", Luiz Zerbini takes us into his intimacy. He wanted the exhibition to be like a whisper, a whisper, which he addresses to the artists selected from MON's collection for the "Affinities" project, and then indirectly to the public, in a true spirit of sharing their privileged moments. 

Through 44 paintings, 11 watercolors and 12 monotypes, Luiz Zerbini opens up his secret garden to us for the first time. As in many travel diaries, Luiz titles his works simply by the places he visited or by the name of the object described. 

It was a visit to MON's collections that gave Luiz Zerbini the idea of presenting his travel diaries. There he met landscape artists he didn't know, but whose visions touched him. Luiz has always been attentive to this kind of work.

"Affinities", now in its third edition, is a subtle game in which artists are invited to draw on MON's collections and create an exhibition in which selected works from the Museum's collection echo those of the invited artists. So, in his treasure hunt, Luiz Zerbini selected five artists who responded to this close observation of nature, which is so dear to him. 

"Afinidades III - Cochicho" (Affinities III - Whispering), by Luiz Zerbini, brings to MON this delicate and intimate look at nature, creating a moment to stop and meditate.

The exhibition "Afinidades III - Cochicho" is the third edition of a project organized by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, which began in 2021. Curated by Marc Pottier, contemporary artist Luiz Zerbini has selected works by five important names in Paraná art from MON's collection to be shown alongside his own in Room 7.

These are: Guido Viaro, Miguel Bakun, Bruno Lechowski, Guilherme William Michaud e Theodoro de Bona. In common, or by affinity, all the works presented in the exhibition have nature as their theme.

"Afinidades III - Cochicho" is much more than an exhibition. This is the third edition of an important event organized by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, which aims to give value and visibility to its collection. 

MON is the largest art museum in Latin America. With a total area of 35,000 square meters, it houses references of national and international artistic production, with more than 14,000 works of visual arts, architecture and design. 

The collection is the heart of a museum, its most important and vital part, and it only makes sense if it reaches and interacts with people. With this project, MON facilitates a closer relationship with the public, providing new interpretations and forms and articulating a greater dialog between visitors, artists and the institution.

The " Afinidades " project began in 2021, when artists from Paraná, or with a strong connection to our state, were invited to delve into MON's collection. From there, affinities emerged between works, artists and curators.

The second edition, the following year, brought together only women artists from different regions of Brazil, who delved into the Museum's permanent collection. The female gaze of the guests gave the exhibition a great diversity of works, spanning different eras and themes. The result instigated and sensitized the viewer through different approaches.

This time, a new format has been proposed. The renowned contemporary artist Luiz Zerbini presents his paintings, watercolors and monotypes that represent travel diaries. Entitled "Cochicho", the collection takes us into his intimacy, like a whisper. 

After delving into in MON's collection, Zerbini selected works by five important names in Paraná art: Guido Viaro, Miguel Bakun, Bruno Lechowski, Guilherme William Michaud and Theodoro de Bona. 

In common, or by affinity, like his works presented here, all the works chosen have nature as their theme. The result is surprising.

Luiz Zerbini
Acrylic on canvas 
30 x 24 cm
Luiz Zerbini Studio collection

Luiz Zerbini
Acrylic on canvas 
30 x 40 cm
Luiz Zerbini Studio collection

Luiz Zerbini
Acrylic on canvas 
30 x 40 cm 
Luiz Zerbini Studio collection

MON holds the third edition of "Affinities", an initiative that brings its collection closer to the public

The exhibition “Afinidades III – Cochicho” (Affinities III - Whispering) will open on November 22, the 22nd anniversary of the Oscar Niemeyer Museum. This is the third edition of a MON project, which began in 2021. Curated by Marc Pottier, contemporary artist Luiz Zerbini has selected works by five important names in Paraná art to be presented alongside his own in Room 7.

For the Secretary of State for Culture, Luciana Casagrande Pereira, "Afinidades III - Cochicho" reinforces the Oscar Niemeyer Museum's commitment to valuing the collection from Paraná and promoting dialogues between different generations of artists. "This is a project that brings the public closer to Paraná's rich cultural heritage, as well as creating new connections based on Luiz Zerbini's view of nature and the Brazilian and Paraná landscapes," she says.

"It's much more than an exhibition. This is the third edition of an important event organized by the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, which aims to value and give visibility to its collection," explains MON's director, Juliana Vosnika. 

On view exhibition

Afghanistan

Jean-Michel Othoniel

Tracks and Traces

Asia: the Earth, Men, Gods

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