With its high-spirited, seemingly precarious gadgets, O Grivo belongs in the select group of Brazilian audiovisual artists, such as the Chelpa Ferro collective or Paulo Nenflidio, who are well inserted into the context of the visual arts, and whose works include the use of unexpected apparatuses. Unlike the others, however, and partly due to the musical background of its members, the art of O Grivo prioritises sonority: even though visual effect is far from casual, image is a consequence of the musical dimension. The sound routes they create, in the words of the duo, 'give rise to a new way of hearing, and a new way of seeing sound-generating mechanisms.'
Read MoreFormed in 1990, the collective first became known for the musical productions they made for other artists, such as Cao Guimarães, Lucas Bambozzi, Rivane Neuenschwander, and Valeska Soares, among others. The strong visual appeal of their installations, however, caused the duo to be recognised for the visual quality of their works, and not only the sound quality, especially after the show Antarctica Artes com a Folha (1996).
Nelson Soares and Marcos Moreira comprise O Grivo. They were born in Belo Horizonte, where they live and work. They featured in the 28th Bienal de São Paulo (2008) and in the 8th Mercosul Biennial, in Porto Alegre (2008), both in Brazil. Their main works (mostly concerts and installations) and shows include: Estación Experimental, at Universidad Laboral in Gijón, Spain (2012); O Grivo, at Galeria Nara Roesler in São Paulo (2010), and at the Museu de Arte da Pampulha, in Belo Horizonte (2009), both in Brazil; and It's Raining Out There, at the South London Gallery, United Kingdom (2008).
Text courtesy Galeria Nara Roesler.
