Book Club: Transfer Catalog

For a show as grandiose as the Transfer show organized by Lucas Ribeiro in Porto Alegre this past summer it was to be expected that the catalog of the event would be equally impressive. And without being over the top about it this catalog does a very nice job showing the incredibly (and successfully) ambitious show. In addition to intense documentation of the artwork itself there are in depth discussions of the artists and the history of their varied yet interconnected art movements from Brazil and globally that were highlighted in this show. This of course includes all that we have been raised to adore and worship in our own way: skateboarding, graffiti, fanzines, comic books, photography, urban life, and of course their various mutations into the fine art world. There's even a DVD included showing it all to you in real and unreal time.

The Santander Cultural Center in Porto Alegre, Brasil was taken over this summer by some of Brasil’s sickest talent as well as some Beautiful Losers from the north. The Transfer show may just have been a landmark show in the country. It brought together so many talents from different but related artistic backgrounds including Herbert Baglione, Bruno 9li, Billy Argel, Calma, Nunca, Titi Freak, Nina and so many more. It raised what some of the large population might dismiss as childish scribblings and pastimes to an unignorable level of artistic importance and part of the country’s own unique culture. These scenes have been having large impacts all over the world for decades now and for many Brazilian artists this meant they were more recognized and respected abroad than in their own country. This is why it was only up until a year or two ago that Os Gemeos had their first major solo how in Brazil meanwhile they had already exhibited and painted across half the globe being praised as two of the best ever. It was time that Brazil came together to recognize its own value and the influences that brought about such an artistic identity in the country.

This catalog is the documentation of that show. We’re not talking about a catalog that’s going to change the world, but rather a specific world that’s changed these artists.

For information about purchasing a copy of this book please write to:
Ana Ferraz at ana@noz.art.br

and you can see more of the show at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nozart

Now some visual goodies:

MZK