You can view it
Americas Society
All Existing Materials on Earth
January 25–May 20, 2023
New York
Bispo Do Rosário: All Existing Materials on Earth is not the unruly display the exhibition’s title would have you believe. Born in Brazil in 1909, Arthur Bispo do Rosário spent much of his life confined to mental institutions after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. He saw that God had chosen him to compile a complete catalog of all the world’s inhabitants, their possessions and other information, in order to preserve the universe for Judgement Day. The vision he had effected his entire life and helped to shape the unique style and content his art. More than simply a survey of the artist’s extensive output, the Americas Society’s exhibition lays out a narrative that elucidates the artist’s personal history, hybrid spiritual beliefs, and expansive worldview.
Opening the exhibition, Bispo’s hand-embroidered “Roupas (garments),” which he referred to as “uniforms,” reveal the everyday modes he used to negotiate and express his ambitious mandate from God. The most iconic piece he made. Untitled [Manto da apresentação (Annunciation garment)] The (n.d.) that he planned to wear to Judgement Day is embroided with everyday objects as well as abstract designs. While the interior displays names of those he met during his lifetime, such as doctors, nurses and patients, the inside shows his friends’ names. The jacket is flanked on both sides by regalia jackets with stars, service stripes and stitches. The star-studded sidewall Untitled [“Eu vi Cristo” (I saw Christ)] (n.d.), he detailed the story, date, and time of his 1938 mission that heralded the start of his 50-year “encyclopedic endeavor.” These uniforms recall the time he spent in the Brazilian navy, but more affectingly disclose Bispo’s regimental mandate to carry out his project like some form of dutiful charge, an idea present in his precise linework.
Bispo’s formal rigor comes into focus in his fabric reconstructions of everyday objects such as scissors, lamps, and paint rollers, each embroidered with the object’s name and serial number that corresponds to a catalog system that reaches almost 1000 items. He used sheets, blankets, towels, or any piece of rag he could get his hands on, and even unraveled patients’ uniforms into blue thread for sewing material. These sculptural objects are neighbored by his “Vitrines,” panels of found objects he acquired through collecting and exchanging with others in the Colônia Juliano Moreira, a psychiatric facility destination for the homeless and mentally ill, where Bispo spent much of his life. On the far back wall of the Americas Society, a tapestry of his “Vitrines” panels lined with conga shoes, plastic combs, and mugs replicates Bispo’s systematic syntax. There is also a small, self-made chessboard with pieces. He was an excellent chess player and this powerful example shows how his practice combined structure and playfulness.
At first glance, the scope of Bispo’s project may seem incompatible with the institutional confinement in which he lived. Bispo was both mentally disabled and excluded from all aspects of the world, so how can he hope to complete the map? Yet, Bispo’s project appears to be a triumph over those conditions. He could express himself through his embroidery and assert agency in a world that tried to rob him of those qualities.
His “Estandartes (Banners)” deepen this paradox. Some banners feature text and statements that express a sense of purpose and determination, such as “Eu preciso dessas palavra escritas” (“I need these words written”), which highlights the urgency to preserve his memories while confined in an environment that suppressed individuality. Other “Estandartes” are adorned with a diverse range of modern iconographies, from lively carousels and playgrounds to massive military warships and national embassies. These rich images reflect a wider perspective than that of an inmate in a mental institution.
It is tempting to think of Bispo’s work, like that of other artists conventionally grouped under the parameters of the “Outsider” or other approximate synonyms, as launching back and forth from the margins of society to the forefront of artistic innovation. However, such simplistic views miss the complexity and depth that Bispo’s artistry. He rejected the idea of being an artist, and he did not believe in traditional models for creative production. Bispo’s work transcends the boundaries of traditional art historical categories and embodies a unique synthesis of the real and fantastical, as well as the material and symbolic. Bispo was able overcome the hospitalization exclusionary principle by recreating his world from his cell. His project could be considered a cultural subversion, challenging the idea of institutionalization.