The Experimental Legacy

Millan launches its 2024 program on January 20 with The Experimental Legacy. Curated by Antonio Gonçalves Filho, the exhibition simultaneously looks back at the gallery's history and points to its current expansion movement.

The Experimental Legacy establishes conversations between the current art production and works by artists who have been active since the 1950s. It features Elena Damiani, Guga Szabzon, and Vivian Caccuri, all represented by the gallery, as well as works by Anna Maria Maiolino, Flávia Ribeiro (aka Frapê, who died last October), Mira Schendel and Lygia Pape, whose journeys converge with that of Millan.

The show highlights the contributions of these pioneering artists to the transformation of the Brazilian art scene, echoing in the work of today's younger artists, whose experimentalism remains at its core.

One of the elements tying these works together is the concept of drawing, which appears as a gesture or in the use of paper as a medium – as in the case of Szabzon's works, which create "notebook pages" with embroidery on felt, or Schendel's monotypes. 

Another common thread between the works is the use of uncommon materials and new technologies, as well as the search for references that surpass artistic cannon. These include Pape's works, from the historic Amazoninos series, and Vivian Caccuri's, which investigate sound perception and make use of materials such as mosquito nets and keys.

Maiolino's works are comparable to those of Peruvian artist Elena Damiani, who exploits marble and granite. Each recalls the time essential for the constitution of matter, prompting deep reflections on the artists' handling of these materials. In addition, these pieces prompt reflections on metaphysical ideas related to the genesis and transformation of such elements.

Also on January 20, Surge et veni will be inaugurated. The group show brings together young painters with increasing notoriety in the art circles and presents different developments in contemporary painting.