in collaboration with the sun

Text by Pablo Leon de la Barra & Raphael Fonseca

The exhibition takes its title from the action “In collaboration with the sun” by the Argentinean artist, Eduardo Navarro, first presented in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2017. It is a collective act that involves collaborating with the actual sun: seven dancers wear clothes, masks and golden mirrors designed by the artist to dialogue with the sun rays that beam down on the museum.
Every Saturday, therefore, the astro-king will act as a choreographer who guides movement – the sun may remain the same, but the movements made in Iceland will certainly not be the same as those expressed here in Niterói, inside this Oscar Niemeyer-designed building that has long interested the artist. Each dancer takes on a particular action, interacting with the sun rays that shine from mirror to mirror, from body to body.
This work by Navarro flags his constant interest in the creation of fictions based on an observation of natural phenomena, which are usually presented from a scientific perspective. The stars, animals, sound and anatomic measurements are just a few of the aspects of an oeuvre tempered with an intriguing futurism. We are invited to venture into a universe that is presented through actions coordinated by the artist. Time is an essential component not only for us to observe, but also be part of his proposals.
As well as the presentation of this action, a series of the artist’s drawings are also presented on the veranda. Some of them are directly related to aspects of Niemeyer’s architecture, contributing with suggestions of science fictions regarding the shape of the building – what relationships between humans and nature might be suggested by its curves? Others are based on the relationship between image and text; his verses create and at the same time belie our expectations of the images drawn by the artist. Finally, a third group of drawings is directly related to the action proposed for the museum: scribbles, sketches and projections about how these bodies might behave.
These drawings can be seen not only in their traditional relation to the notion of projects, but also as an experimental space for Navarro’s art and image creation. As in all his studies as a visual artist, these works refuse to be read quickly and present us with a view of multi-layered relations. Whereas in the action, the bodies are in direct collaboration with the sun, these drawings are an invitation to a constant collaboration with the public. Each of us will find the best way to generate new reflections on their lines and words.