The Rui Freire - Fine Art gallery is pleased to announce the exhibition Vik Muniz and Katharina Grosse X Parley. This show presents, for the first time at the gallery, works by these artists as well as works created in collaboration with Parley for the Oceans. This exhibition is part of the creation, in 2021, of the permanent representation of the Parley for the Oceans Foundation in Portugal and of the close collaborative relationship with the gallery, since 2019.
The exhibition will open on November 6, from 2 pm to 8 pm.
Parley for the Oceans is a global environmental organization and collaborative network that aims to preserve the Oceans and raise awareness of the fragility of these ecosystems. Founded in 2012 by Cyrill Gutsch, Parley challenges companies, brands, organizations, governments, artists, designers, scientists, innovators and environmentalists to explore new ways of creating, thinking and living. It believes that the power of change lies with consumers and that the ability to shape and alter consumer habits lies with the creative industries, which have the tools to transform reality and develop alternative business models and ecologically sensitive products.
One of the innovations created is Parley Ocean Plastic ™, a material created from recycled plastic waste recovered from beaches and coastal areas. Parley for the Oceans organizes with its various partners actions to collect, sort and transport this raw material to be transformed into yarn used for the production of sportswear and accessories, in partnership with brands and creators, such as Adidas and designer Stella McCartney.
Vik Muniz is a Brazilian artist based in the United States, widely known for reusing everyday materials to recreate complex and dense works of art. Through the use of food, dust, diamonds, or recycled waste, he creates temporary artworks that he preserves through photographic images. His artistic approach is influenced by political, social and environmental issues. Vik's work is present in the collections of major international museums such as: Art Institute of Chicago, J. Paul Getty Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art (New York), Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, and Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Besides his artistic activity, Vik is involved in social and educational projects in Brazil and in the United States. His documentary "Extraordinary Waste" was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary and won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival for best film. In 2011 he was nominated by Unesco as a goodwill ambassador and in January 2013 he received the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum. In 2014 Vik started the construction of the Vidigal School, an art and technology school for children from the Vidigal community in Rio de Janeiro. In 2015 Vik was invited by the Gates' Foundation to be part of the global project "The Art of Saving Lives" with the series Colonies.
Vik has also been invited to lectures at major universities and museums such as: Oxford, Harvard, Yale, TED Talks, the World Economic Forum, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others and residency programs at MIT and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.
Exclusively for Parley, Vik Muniz has created a limited edition of 'Paisagem', which we present in the gallery depicts Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro. The original work, from which this edition is derived, was assembled from thousands of pieces and plastic rubble, composed in relief form, which measured over 1000 square meters and relied on the help of the public who were asked to bring used cans or plastic bottles. 'Landscape' took over a week to complete and used over a ton of trash. This spectacular undertaking brings us face to face with one of the important challenges, which is to use creation and beauty-stimulating action to convey important humanitarian and environmental messages.
Proceeds from the sales of this original edition by Vik Muniz will support Parley's global efforts to eradicate plastic marine pollution and end ocean destruction.
Katharina Grosse is a German artist, born in Freiburg, who works and lives in Berlin. She is known for an artistic practice that challenges the very act of painting, the perception of space, accepting the unexpected and the incidents that arise while working. Katharina Grosse's most recent series to support the initiatives of the Parley for the Oceans Global Cleanup Network, consists of painting directly on surfboards. The painted surfaces of these works can be seen as a reverberation of the enigmatic and dynamic nature of the seas. Each of these boards is unique, a symbol of the movement to defend the oceans. The artist is currently developing other projects with the Foundation in Portugal, which we will communicate soon.