São Paulo, Brasil
08/06/2013 - 20/07/2013

One of the most important characteristics of contemporary art, especially since the 1990s, is probably the fact that it affirms the relational extension between art and society. Laura Miranda addresses, in her work, the clash between subject and world, body and place. “Nomos” – a term that designates a path in a wide range around the urban space – was the title chosen by Laura for her next exhibition, and refers to the place where the artist produces her work, the Passaúna Environmental Protection Area, located in the metropolitan area of Curitiba. From June 8th, Dan Galeria will open its doors to show drawings, objects and videos, referring to a production made by the artist between 2009 and 2012.

With a background in visual arts and contemporary dance and specialization in the history of 20th century art, Laura Miranda, from Curitiba, carries out works that connect these two artistic fields and develops research projects in different textile traditions with visits to institutions and communities in Japan, India and Canada. Neoconcretism, an artistic movement whose manifesto was published in Brazil in 1959, was also an important reference for his work, not only with regard to a critical review of geometric language, but also an approach to the body and subjectivity that allowed the insertion of art in the field of discussion of culture as social production.

The 2009 series “A Céu Aberto” was created with hand-dyed paper, with folding and tying, making use of traditional dyeing techniques from Asian countries. The colored folds combine geometry and organicity and are sewn with delicate lines until they form a modular surface. The main work in the series brings the color blue – the color of the exhibition – which is linked to the color of the sky, water and air and refers to itineraries in so many places. It points to paths in which the perception of space takes place in relation to amplitude and speed.

The series “Mirror D’Água”, from 2011/2012, establishes a relationship between the Passaúna River and the Adyar River and their mouth in the Bengal Sea, in southern India – a path taken by the artist in 2011. The drawings that make up this series they originated from the overlapping maps of these two rivers and are the result of an imaginary cartography based on sketch photographs and travel diaries. The tunic, which is also part of this set, is made of felt and silk with a print of cut flowers, embroidered with pearls, and a tablet with images of the bottom and surface of the lake is embedded in the neckline.

“Zênite”, from 2010, was a collaborative project that brought together ten artists – among them Laura Miranda – and resulted in the collective production of sketchbooks, photographs, objects, clothes and a performance video that will be part of the exhibition.

Highlights of the project are drawings and objects from the artist’s individual production, the 2010/2011 “Pétalas e Flechas” series, which refer to the meaning of the word Zênite: a line drawn between a point on the earth’s surface and its correspondent on the celestial vault.

In addition to these series, the exhibition will feature an arrowhead found in the region, dating back to approximately 4,000 years and an interesting virtual portfolio of the artist, where it will be possible to analyze the production processes of the works and the references so dear to Laura Miranda. The exhibition catalog, which has already been launched at ARCO, in Madrid, and at the Alfredo Andersen Museum, in Curitiba, will now be launched in São Paulo and will feature critical texts by names such as Paulo Reis, Artur Freitas and Denise Bandeira.