Silveira, Regina

• School of Arts and Communications, University of São Paulo, Brazil
• Art Institute, Rio Grande do Sul University, Porto Alegre , Brazil Started to study art in 1950, in addition to painting, she studied lithography and woodcut. At the age of 20, she graduated from the Institute of Arts, Rio Grande do Sul University. At the same institution, she taught, at that time, she practiced sculpture and painting under the guidance of Iberi Camargo, Francisco Stocking and Marcelo Grassman. In 1967, she received a scholarship to study art history in Madrid. She returned to Brazil in 1973, where she continued her studies at the School of Arts and Communications, University of São Paulo. In 1980, she graduated with a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. in 1984. She continued to work in many educational institutions throughout the region over the next several decades.

In the work of Regina Silveira, the influence of conceptual art , minimalism and pop art is felt. Most of all, the artist is interested in the classic themes of art: the play of light and shadow, the system of visual representation, perspective issues, the illusion of volume in two-dimensional space. The artist uses various methods of perspective projections, remodeling and deconstructing them to create paradoxical images. Such as shadows without bodies that cast them, or shadows that contradict the object casting them. Silveira also uses traces and prints that speak of presence and absence, mixing several printing techniques in one work, achieving the architectural qualities of the depicted.

In the period from 1979 to 1981, the artist created Anamorfas - a series of works that opened up new perspectives in her work. Photographing everyday objects, such as a pair of scissors or glasses from a certain angle, the artist transformed and distorted them, creating a mysterious reality. This series was followed by another - Simulacros . These are photographic works, installations and objects, always monochrome, based on the violation of the laws of projection and shadow theory. Among Simulacros , works for the XVII Biennale in Sao Paulo in 1983 can be distinguished. The monumental silhouettes of “Bottle Dryers” and “ Duchamp 's Wheels” served as fictitious shadows from empty pedestals for sculpture. For Simulacros , Silveira created Inflexões ( 1985 - 1987 ), a series of silhouettes that were used as independent works and parts of installations.

To create The Saint's Paradox (inaccessible link) (1994), Regina Silveira combined two elements from two cultural contexts. A small folklore wooden figure on a pedestal - the Apostle James - casts a huge distorted shadow. But this is not the shadow of a small figure, instead, the viewer learns the shape of a heroic equestrian statue. This is an image of Prince Cachias, commander in the war between Brazil , Argentina and Uruguay ( 1864 - 1870 ). This war is considered the bloodiest conflict in the history of Latin America . Silveira combines the distorted shadow of a war hero with the figure of the Holy Apostle , who is the patron saint of the Spanish military. A spatial collage connects two different shapes in a paradoxical way. The shadow and the object that supposedly casts it are connected by a double absence: the figure has lost its correct shadow, and the shadow is not connected to the original object.

• Site of Regina Silveira
• Interview with Regina Silveira, 2009
• Artnet
• Sicardi gallery
• Works and biography
• Artfacts