PAULO MONTEIRO

Paulo Monteiro’s oeuvre consists of drawings, paintings andsculptures with the line as their main theme. He explores thepossibilities of the line as an organic and dynamic but also controlledprinciple. It forms, as it were, the trace of a choreography, and aparallel can indeed be drawn between his oeuvre and classical ballet. Inaddition, the line also functions as a boundary that demarcates zones.In his paintings, he pushes the paint forward with his fingers, causingit to pile up and create edges. He treats paint as a material ratherthan a colour. He moulds his sculptures as three-dimensional lines,folding, connecting and cutting them. The relation to the surroundingspace is of elementary importance, as is the spatial relation betweenthe different media when they are combined – often playfully – on thewall.

Another important aspect is the principle of gravity. On the onehand, the entire space is subject to it, and its effect is tangible inhis sculptures especially. The heavy bronze and aluminium objects arepulled towards the ground. On the other hand, Monteiro plays with thisfact through his use of colour. The light, sweet colours seem to relievethe objects of their weight.

In 1982 Paulo Monteiro set up Casa 7, an artist collective and venuethat functioned as a studio and exhibition space. It brought together awhole generation of artists who wanted to offer an alternative to the(Neo-)Concrete Art that was ubiquitous and that focused mainly on rigid,geometric compositions and less on the organic, expressive line.

His works are included in the permanent collections of MoMA (NewYork), Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo, Pinacoteca do Estado de SãoPaulo, Museum of Contemporary Art of São Paulo, Modern Art Museum of Riode Janeiro and Niterói Contemporary Art Museum.

Courtesy Zeno X Gallery