O Estado das Coisas (The State of Things)

O Estado das Coisas

The State of Things

My commentary

 

It was a time when the newspapers were censored and did not disguise. A more forceful article against the military regime, or even by simple bullying, was withdrawn by order of the resident censor and, on the grounds that the issue was ready, was replaced by a black stripe, sometimes by alternative text, pure joke, as excerpts of classical poetry or of culinary recipe.

 

I was constantly seeing the ruse and, using the first page of O Estado de São Paulo, a very combative newspaper, I made O Estado das Coisas (The State of Things). Allusion to the title of that newspaper, state as unit of federation, replaced by state as a condition.

I made 5 pieces of it very similar to each other, changing only the dance of the letters inside the transparent little bags. I always thought that passing the eyes through the transparent sachets would give some life to the text that can not be read.

 

By chance two of them were lost: they were being prepared for an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo and when the museum driver came to pick them up, not all of them were dry. I took in person, later, the remainingt two. When I arrived the exhibition panel was already loaded and these two were left out. And they got lost.

 

The three that were exhibited, I do not remember by what deal, were moved on to the museum collection and there they are until today.

Gabriel Borba 2019

Conjunto da Obra

O Estado das Coisas (The State of Things)