Molding a Contemporary Soul: The Empty-Full of
LYGIA CLARK
Suely Rolnkgia Clerk is the name of an existence canvulsed by the eruption of an
that graduslly took shape throughout the totality of a unique ceuvre,
Elaborate step by sto from the 1980s tothe 198s, this idee stated itself
‘on the horizon of ene ofthe most insistent issues facing madernart—the re
connection of at and ife~as an erginal answer with the power to carry this
project toward its very limit. This is probabiy why Brazilian and iteration
‘culture of hat time da nat assimilate the ats's work not ove half it 5
pecially during the period beginning with Ceminhardo Walking, 1963). Some
‘even year after rer deat, this assimilation is only starting to take shape,
From this serial work emerged a path in which the idea that propelled Clark
‘resented itself inal ts radicality and took on vitality that would remain in
efatigable until her final work, Estuturagdo do self (Structuring the Sef
praduced through her Objtasrelacionais (Relational Objects, 1876-28). The
last ofthe artist's propositions, this work completed her idea in masterful
form, revealing the rigorous coherence ofthe whole of her cour
“Throughout the century. uch imagination has been dedicated Yo working
cut strategies fo eect the utopia of he raconnection of et and fe. Some
ofthese strategies frm ta spel landscape in hich Clr’ work cried
cut its dlegue: berating the artistic abject fam ts formalist nia
its mtying aura by crating “ving objets in which could be atm
“the forces, tho endless process the wital tena ha str in eerything
tnkng materia, mages, and even objec faken fom daly ie witht
_upposey nolemater far: era the spectator trom ns fer sp0-
“Tinea wether by mang possible he specter’ active patipaton
inte recepen orn te execution ofthe work oy intensifying his 0 er
faculis of perception ae cognition: emanciting te system of at rom
the inertia estabianes bys mundane eitsm rts reduction toa comme
cial age by exiting or ereating in public places or by opening such
‘spac00 io chor publi ierting the astetc ream from ts confinement
ina specialized sohere to comer nos dimension of everyone’ existence
by moire al a work fet, In uray, alt theseatatgis con= taminate exhibition spaces, materials and above al the tions =
‘wore nthe social mile
1 wel asthe feof theerlnary citizen, with art
necting art and life, in addition to intensifying artistic practices through
“exoerimentation ofall Kinds, exceeded ts boundaries and contaminated so
movement that rocked the period and launched the foundations of an ire-
vversible transformation of the human landscape that even today has not
been fully absorbed. Surely we cannot aitribute to mere chance the inven-
sete rence nad ta omen a i
(One he mos interesting aepacts of ths cartonrahy forthe present work
isthe oie of ats practice ino &specalize8 domain, which presupposed
Tha certain plane ofthe processes of sujetivetion would be confined to
geben, G22] thera tn ati Tle tea ed wh ee
jack with the oer, Rumen and nonhuman, mobilizes affects as changing as
_the variable multiplicity that constitutes otherness? The constellation of
such fects forms realy of eneations—