Tropicália

'Tropicália' is inspired by the varied influences that elevate our perspectives, by seeking out the aesthetic sublime. This work takes the much loved genre of flora as its starting point, and aggregates a minimalist composition.

As the Brazilian artistic movement that arose in the late 1960s, a dominant principle of Tropicália was antropofagia, a type of cultural "cannibalism" that encouraged the conflation of disparate influences, out of which could be created something unique. The idea was originally put forth by poet Oswald de Andrade in his Manifesto Antropófago, published in 1928, and was developed further by the tropicalistas in the 1960s. It was characterized by the amalgamation of Brazilian genres—notably the union of the popular and the avant-garde, as well as the melding of Brazilian tradition and foreign traditions and styles. Tropicália was not only an expression in analyzing and manipulating culture but also a mode of political expression.

Even though the utopian movement formally ended in 1968, it continues to live and inspire work in current times.

@beardcoded, 11 May, 2022