Itaú Cultural is presenting the second edition of the Ocupação project, dedicated to director, author and actor Zé Celso. Ocupação has been created to foster a dialog between the new generation of artists and the places, works, objects and people that influenced them. The project is part of the Institute’s permanent work, and includes—among other initiatives—activities to encourage contemporary production and preserve artistic memory. To this end we may highlight the encyclopedias on the itaucultural.org.br website, which offer biographical data, images, videos and analytical texts on professionals working in visual arts, the theater, cinema, literature and technological arts.
Transgression, innovation, experimentation and subversion may be some of the nouns that come to mind when describing the work of Zé Celso, one of the most significant names in Brazilian theater. In more than 50 intense years in the theater, commanding the Teatro Oficina, he staged such revolutionary works as Oswald de Andrade’s O Rei da Vela in 1967, which is one of the iconic plays in the Tropicalism movement; as well as Os Sertões, based on Euclides da Cunha’s work (known in English as ‘The Devil to Pay in the Backlands’) and staged at Oficina from 2002.
The exhibition is an opportunity for several audience profiles to familiarize themselves with Zé Celso through stage sets, videos, films, screenings, photographs, posters and photographic plates. It will also be a space where the institute can focus its educational action on broadening and enhancing the audience’s understanding of the role played by artists such as Zé Celso.
In addition to the theater, Ocupação will, this year, be displaying the work of a bechmark artist in literature. The next edition will feature Paulo Leminski, poet, novelist, lyricist and translator.
Itaú Cultural
Curators
Elaine Cesar and Marcelo Drummond
Exhibition Designer
Elaine Cesar
Settings and artwork
Rafael Ghirardello
Video
Jair Molina Jr.
Music
Guilherme Calzavara and Otávio Ortega
Lighting
Arnaldo Mesquita
Image production
Cassandra Mello
Research
Solange Santos and Valério Peguini
Graphic Support
Rafael Gonçalves