Hélio Oiticica: Delirium Ambulatorium exhibition catalog
Catalog of the exhibition Hélio Oiticica: Delirium Ambulatorium, edited by Tuîa Arte Produção and presented at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil in Brasília and Belo Horizonte.
Oiticica (Rio de Janeiro, 1937–1980) was one of the most inventive artists of Brazilian Neoconcretism and the author of the term Tropicália—the title of one of his installations, which inspired an artistic and musical movement that gained international recognition.
Organized by Bruna Neiva, the book features texts by Moacir dos Anjos and historical photographs by Andreas Valentim, Cláudio Oiticica, Marcos Bonisson, and Sólon Ribeiro.
On the cover, the title appears only through embossed lettering (without ink), giving the book the appearance of a block wrapped in solid colors on all sides. This design echoes the monumental installation Magic Square #3: The Invention of Color, an open-air labyrinth of color and one of the exhibition’s highlights. Inside, readers are invited to interact with folded pages that function as visual and tactile interactive surfaces, in dialogue with works such as the Relevos Espaciais (Spatial Reliefs) and with the sensory dimension that Oiticica brought to art.
The book is set in Lygia and Lygia Sans, by Brazilian type designer Flavia Zimbardi. Both draw inspiration from the work of artists such as Lygia Clark and Oiticica himself, reinforcing the relevance of this choice.
The book was named a semifinalist for the Jabuti Prize in the Best Graphic Design category.
Like any other catalog published by the CCBB, the book can be read and downloaded on the institution’s digital archive.
