Promoter
Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia
Brief Introduction
Reading is a central practice in Ernesto Neto's life and art. Each work has its mysteries, even for its author, and each artist will decipher and carry with them layers of access to the world, as revealed to varying degrees. Ernesto Neto's discourse and material are expansive and his work is realised on a large scale, as can be seen in the installation on display at MAAT: Nosso Barco Tambor Terra.
Among the countless references that form the basis of his broad artistic vocabulary, in his work Ernesto Neto displays his relationship with music, particularly percussion, and with the forms and organic materials of the earth, summoning senses that are usually dormant in museum spaces, such as smell and touch, and creating an imagined universe that takes us to an ancestral dimension and invites us to share a common territory. When speaking, Ernesto Neto makes constant references to his reading, often in an attempt to find a common understanding with the other. Reading and talking about the same books represent routes of access and encounter with the other, and with Ernesto Neto the relational aspect is paramount. When asked if he would like to tell us which books were the basis for the creation of Nosso Barco Tambor Terra, or for his creations in general, with the idea of a Reading Club in mind, the difficulty was to narrow his choices down to the essentials.
The Ernesto Neto Book Club thus represents an experience situated in an unconventional cartography, with the sessions taking place in the installation's exhibition space within the universe of readings selected by the artist. This Reading Club thus represents an opportunity for encounter, not so much to decipher each other's intimate mysteries, but in an attempt to animate a shared space.
Additional Information
Frequency: one session per month between June and September (except August), on Wednesdays in person at the Nosso Barco Tambor Terra installation.
Price: €15 single session or access to all sessions with the purchase of a €30 MAAT card (with all associated benefits)
Language: Portuguese