Gift of the artist to the present owner
London, Tate Modern, Cildo Meireles, 14 October 2008- 11 January 2009, then travelled to Barcelona, Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (11 February- 26 April 2009) (another example exhibited)
G. Brett, Ed., Cildo Meireles, London: Tate/D.A.P., 2009, p. 81 (another example illustrated)
Brazilian • 1948
At the core of Cildo Meireles' conceptual artistic practice is an interest in the functions of economic and political systems. Meireles forms part of the younger generation of Brazilian Neo-Concrete artists who were chiefly concerned with integrating spectator participation in the execution of their artworks, provoking the viewer's sensorial awareness.
In his seminal series, Insertion In Ideological Circuits 2: Banknote Project (1970), Meireles printed politically subversive messages on American and Brazilian banknotes and sent them into circulation. This vandalism forced viewers to confront the reality of their political and economic systems and question their role and participation within said systems. This one series is emblematic of his larger body of work, which continues to intrigue and confound viewers today.
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