Page 135 - ARTE!Brasileiros #37

in researching archives of the photographers. “We like to 1 | ON THIS PAGE, 1978, BY GABRIELA OLIVEIRA; VIGÍLIA, BY KATIA KUWABARA; BRANCA,
follow the whole process, from the choice of images to the BY LÍGIA JARDIM; AND NINGUÉM É DE NINGUÉM, BY ROGÉRIO REIS
edition, the text and the printing process”, said Belém.
“Some of the books were born within our study groups, in ARTIST GUTO LACAZ | PAGES 106 TO 109
which we had the possibility to follow also the birth of the
The birth process of the publishing house matured for years GUTO LACAZ,
photo shoot.”
in Recife, where Belém and Quintas come from. It was a THE OUTCAST
before it was launched. Olhavê started as a blog in 2007
blog of reflections and thoughts just as several others that
emerged at that time. The couple started then to bind their PINACOTECA ACQUIRES ART INSTALLATION CREATED NEARLY 30
own way of thinking and understanding photography. The YEARS AGO BY AN OUTSIDER TO THE ART MARKET
following year, Belém wanted to give Georgia a publication
of her research Man Ray e a Imagem da Mulher as a gift. BY FABIO CYPRIANO PHOTO LUIZA SIGULEM
“It was all done with our own resources. It was my first
experience as an editor.” Four years later, in 2012, with an AT 68 YEARS OLD and with a 40-year old career, Guto Lacaz
established blog, Belém and Georgia decided to continue the sold just now, in 2016, his first work to an art institution.
series of interviews that they had carried out with several Eletro Esfero Espaço (Electro Sphere Space), created almost
photographers and researchers. Then the book Olhavê 30 years ago, is part of the Pinacoteca’s collection since
Entrevista came along. the beginning of the year. It is on exhibition at Situações:
It was all it took to root the seeds of the editor. In a bolder a Instalação no Acervo da Pinacoteca (Situations: The
step, they decided to set up a publishing house. “In that first installation at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo Collection) until
moment we published two books: one on the exhibition of February 2017.
the photographer Ricardo Labá, called Abismo da Carne, and “In January, when I received a letter from José Augusto
the other with Georgia’s articles and reflections, Inquietaçõs Ribeiro, on behalf of Pinacoteca, confirming this work’s
Fotográficas - Narrativas Poéticas e Crítica Visual. The acquisition, it made my year”, said Lacaz, seated in his
two books were awarded the Marc Ferrez award. At that residence and atelier near Ibirapuera Park.
early stage, the support from partners such as publishing It was exactly in the park, more specifically at Biennial Pavillion
house Tempo d’Imagem, of Tiago and Isabel Santana, was that Eletro Esfero Espaço was shown for the first time, as part
essential. There was no way back. The passion for the of the exhibition A Trama do Gosto, organised by Biennial
paper, for the continuity of the book and the monitoring Foundation in 1987, between the 18th and the 19th Biennial
and development of works of new photographers would of São Paulo. “I attended the 18th edition in 1985, at Sheila
be increasingly stronger: “Making books is having good Lerner’s invitation, to perform Eletroperformance”, Lacaz
company, serious work and a professional network that said. He then asked the curator Lerner for a space to present
is watered by trust, kindness, respect and the awareness a new work. However, he had a quite natural reaction when
that your job is an exercise of choices and affinities”, said faced with the responsibility and visibility provided by the
Georgia Quintas. Biennial, “my mind went blank and I ended up doing a corny
The publishing house has also published Ninguém é de room”, he now admits.
Ninguém (2015), by Rogério Reis, and 1978 (2016), by Lacaz could compensate for that warm participation at the
Gabriela Oliveira. “It’s an act of approaching to the artists’ event during the following occupation of the building designed
images and following their discourse, their research and by Oscar Niemeyer. A Trama do Gosto - Um Outro Olhar sobre
experiments. The term ‘process of creation’ is definititely o Cotidiano, an exhibition with more than a hundred artists,
fitting”, said Georgia. among them Regina Silveira, Nelson Leirner, Bené Fonteles
Thus, well crafted books, in which the aesthetics of the and Leon Ferrari (1920-2013), was organised as a town. It
work is linked to the production and care with which the had modules, such as Electronic Games, Skyscrapers and
book is formatted, are bringing an understanding about Bookstore, among others.
the contemporary production process: “Our product is “Antenor Lago, who was one of the curators, asked me to
the book and our intention is that it talks directly with the make an appliance store”, said Lacaz. The issue wasn’t new to
artistic field,” said Belém. But the caring is not only in the him. Lacaz’s famous work Eletroperformance was performed
choice of photographers and the time spent on each book with appliances, a passion born when he studied electronics
- Rogério Reis’, for example, took two years of research -, in high school, but which developed when visiting the city’s
but also on refinement of Georgia’s texts and the reflections department stores. “Sears was my library; it was like MoMa
made for each work: “The authors bring challenges and for me. It had everything, from fantastic toys to cutting-edge
the poetic exercise ad infinitum of the edition. Monitoring technology,” he recalled with admiration.
projects is as a place of dialogue and discussion. A place From Sears, precisely, he took out the idea to build for his
of understanding,” said Georgia. artwork A Trama do Gosto. “I remember seeing a vacuum
We’ve long known that the photobook has occupied an cleaner that sustained a plastic ball in the air displayed on the
important position when it comes to photography. Several window shop. Therefrom I simply created a hallway through
publishers, including some in Brazil, have emerged lately which visitors went on and felt they were greeted by several
dedicating themselves solely to photography. The book, in swords, which were actually 26 appliances”, he explains.
these times of uncertainty, gives certain continuity: “We Luckily, someone in the Biennial Foundation had a relative
donate and feel great pleasure in the editing process of the who worked at Black & Decker at the time, manufacturer of
books. We put our professionalism in all this, with a lot of the appliance, and thus he borrowed the vacuum cleaners.
lovingness and delicacy, much rigor and commitment. These “I was surprised with the easiness of the situation”, he said.
are books we cherish. We dive into them”, said Georgia. To mask the deafening sound of the set, he provided the

INGLES_205X275_New_Ed 37 2.indd 21 11/21/16 8:46 PM