Regina Silveira

Regina Silveira's one-person exhibition, Regina Silveira: Fauna Mix at Luciana Brito Galeria, São Paulo, Brazil.

The institution's press release follows: 

The various possibilities of meaning and representation of Brazilian fauna have long permeated Regina Silveira's research. As an offshoot of this investigation, which includes venomous animals, harmful insects, fish, mammals, Brazilian birds, alluding to the aura of exoticism that secularly surrounds Brazilian fauna, the artist presents the exhibition “Fauna Mix”, inaugurating Luciana’s 2022 program. Brit Gallery. 

Several animal figures, highlighting some of their most intimidating parts, such as claws, beaks, fangs and tails, chaotically overlap to compose distinct imaginaries in four large tapestries. Handcrafted, the pieces woven in wool achieve a very faithful translation of the original drawing made digitally by the artist, who investigated several sources and appropriated animal records, to gather a varied repertoire of figures. In a second stage, these figures are digitally accumulated in a disorderly way, without concern for the scale relationship between them. The black and white of the represented fauna gains even more prominence with the vivid gradient colors of the background. In addition to textiles, “ Fauna Mix” also includes three large digital prints on Hahnemühle paper under the same theme.

Since the series “Gone Wild” (1996), where coyote footprints covered the walls of the entrance hall of the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego (USA), Regina Silveira has invested in graphic narratives that imply a kind of animalization of architectural spaces. , including “Tropel” (1998), presented at the 28th  Bienal de São Paulo, and “Mundus Admirabilis” (2007), among others, including the work “Bicho Gal” (2017), performed by the artist for the musical show “ Fruta Gogoia”, in honor of the 70th birthday of singer Gal Costa. On the occasion, Regina created a whole imaginary of the invasion of animals to compose a series of animations of the scenario of the show promoted by SESC-SP, with emphasis on the singer's hair, the image that opened the show. For the artist, this was the work that came closest to the possible interpretations of exoticism that have always been associated with our fauna. Hence also comes the idea of ​​bringing the tapestry element to this universe, establishing a paradoxical relationship with the so traditional historical tapestries of Europe, noble pieces of decoration, usually symbols of power of the authorities of the monarchy and the clergy, especially those made in Baixos, in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Recently, the artist also created the series of rugs she called “Tropicals”, custom-made for the lobby of the Rosewood hotel in the Cidade Matarazzo project, with parodic images of Brazilian animals. Simultaneously with “Fauna Mix”, Regina Silveira also presents “Outros Paradoxos”, a retrospective exhibition that takes place at the MAC-USP Museum of Contemporary Art, “Touch”, a large-scale installation at the recently opened Hugo França Gallery, in Trancoso (BA) , and a solo exhibition at the Bolsa de Arte Gallery, in São Paulo.