The Ministry of Culture, Bradesco and Instituto Tomie Ohtake present Sheila Hicks – O que que é isso? (What Is That?), an exhibition dedicated to American artist Sheila Hicks (Nebraska, United States, 1934), one of the leading international figures in the expansion of textile practices in contemporary art.

Developed in close dialogue with Hicks, the show traces her ongoing investigation of thread as material, structure, and a mode of thinking, within a practice that crosses boundaries between painting, sculpture, design, and textile art. Approximately 30 works spanning the past six decades are on display, including small weavings, reliefs, sculptures, and large-scale installations. Also featured are photographs taken by the artist and by Chilean photographer Sergio Larrain during travels through Latin America in the late 1950s, as well as a selection of Andean textiles, a core element in the formation and development of Hicks’s practice.

The title O que que é isso? is borrowed from a question posed by professor Josef Albers to the young Sheila Hicks during her studies at Yale University, in the United States. Upon finding the student experimenting with a makeshift loom, Albers asked, Was ist das, girl? (What is that, girl?). That became the starting point for an exploration that has
accompanied the artist throughout her career. Beyond naming the exhibition, the question encapsulates a practice grounded in experimentation, curiosity about ways of making, and a refusal of strict definitions of her work.

Curated by Ana Roman, Luis Pérez-Oramaz and Paulo Miyada.

Additional information is available at the following link.