By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On October 8th, Rio de Janeiro’s Centro Cultural Paço Imperial will open the first institutional solo exhibition in South America by the Swiss artist Not Vital. Continuing through November 27th the exhibition will feature sculptures and installations by the artist whose career spans over forty years.
Born in 1948 in the small village of Sent, Switzerland, Not Vital is primarily a sculptor but is also known for his architectural renderings, paintings, designs, and perpetual wanderlust that inspires his many creations.
Called the “Maker of Dreamscapes for Adults” by the New York Times Style Magazine, who also added that he is a “sculptor, painter, house builder, nomad, explorer, arranger of wonder, part-time genius of interior decoration, investor in miracles and officially the nicest man in contemporary art,” Not Vital’s nomadic nature and curiosity has led him to journeys and creations throughout the world.
Currently living and working in Beijing, Rio de Janeiro and Sent, Not Vital has held solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in numerous countries as well as designed and built houses among other structures.
During the upcoming exhibition, Not Vital is also constructing the “House to Watch the Sunset in Paranà” in a location near Manaus, Brazil.
According to organizers, the Centro Cultural Paço Imperial exhibition will feature Not Vital works that explore relationships between form and meaning. The works, curated by Olivier Renaud-Clément, will include “HEADS,” a collection of monochromatic, stainless steel sculptures that are highly polished and reflect surfaces causing viewers to question perspectives through fluid reflections and “750 Knives,” an installation consisting of 750 knives of varying sizes plunged into a wall of the exhibit by their handles with sharp blades facing outward.
Additionally, the exhibition will include “Snowball World,” a piece by Not Vital that features plaster “snowballs” appearing to break apart and smash against the wall, a tribute to his home in the Swiss Alps and an exploration of both movement and stasis.
The Centro Cultural Paço Imperial exhibition will officially begin with an opening reception on Thursday, October 8th at 7PM and will then continue through November 27th.
What: Not Vital Solo Exhibition
When: October 8th through November 27th. Opening Reception: Thursday, October 8th, 7PM.
Where: Centro Cultural Paço Imperial, Praça Quinze de Novembro, 48 – Centro
Entrance: See here for more information.