São Paulo, Brazil, 1962

“From Russian to Brazilian constructivism, Climachauska perfected traditional tactics and techniques in contemporary works, creating a new face for an old game. Resubtractions is a fundamental piece of the artist’s work, covering four series of works that deal with numerical systems in a subtle, veiled way. The subtraction paintings that became symbolic in the course of the artist’s career, in which Climachauska reconstructed modern buildings as if he makes a stitch, take other forms: they are cubes, sticks, letters and hours that are subtracted one by one, discreetly, not only by the artist’s hands, but mainly by the plays in the public’s mind. Whether bluffing, building models to set up cathedrals or making time stand still, his recent works appeal to the public’s imagination to continue the game. The artist’s creativity tests the audience’s fantasy each round, rescuing the child and questioning the adult in the viewer.

The game, like art, teaches, entertains, makes one think. Using icons known from the universe of games in his work, Paulo Climachauska promotes entertainment combined with education, creates an environment for debates, both cultural and social, an opportunity to reread the instruction manuals of the society of our times. The works encourage the public to play detective, the numerical counts are like clues that lead players to learn about their “opponents” and about themselves, and finally expand their knowledge in the game of life. In this way, art can have a domino effect, passing values from one to the other. ”

Fernando Mota, “Russian Roulette”, 2013