"Creativity includes an element of discovery and an element of control. Thus it is neither the production of what was familiar, nor simply the discovery of what was unfamiliar...an artist struggles to effect something the exact character of which he does not envisage. Yet he does know when he has reached his goal..."

—PLOTINUS, Enneads VI.8

I have heard this many times before: "I don't understand art; I can't say if it is good or bad." Newflash for everyone who ever thought along those lines. Art is neither good nor bad; it is a form of expression. As such, it depends on every individual viewer's mental state to evaluate it for themselves, no matter what the entire industry of art critics wants you to believe. Art is incredibly personal, and as a designer, I have always admired people who feel they can share their vulnerability in this way.

One of the more recent extended weekends, I met a good friend of mine in Rio de Janeiro. He was there with a larger group of friends. While I spent most days with the group, one day I opted out to read and chill, and the other, a smaller group of us went to the Museu de Arte Moderna, or better known as the MAM Rio. This was an afternoon well-spent, in a way that made me feel motivated to share it with you in more detail. The visit was inspiring and emotionally very touching for me, while the climb to Cocovado Mountain was rather exhausting...

When the MAM was established as a non-profit back in 1948, it was the shining star of Brazil's modern art movement. The initiative was led by Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya, a famous businessman born in Paris but with growing influence and roots in Rio. He, among other entrepreneurs, was responsible for the MAM coming to life and therefore acted as its first president.

In the late 1940s, Rio was still the capital city of Brazil, which changed in the late 1950s during the Kubitschek administration. While it was a long-standing plan to move the capital city from Rio to Brasília, it drastically impacted the economy of Rio and with it it's cultural standing. Even viewed within a global context, the museum was founded during a transformative era, post-World War II, and at a time when artistic ambitions and identity were evolving rapidly in Rio.

Even with much famous competition in Rio and São Paulo, the "Museu de Arte Moderna" is a striking piece of architecture. Part of its fascination comes from its stark contrast, as probably intended by designer Affonso Eduardo Reidy in collaboration with Carmen Portinho (the responsible civil engineer). While they employed a minimalist rationalist approach with raw exposed concrete, the extensive glass fronts created an interesting light threshold between the exterior and the interior spaces. When I saw the building at first glance, I already assumed that the supporting pillars as well as the staircases could not have been without their challenges, and I found an article published in 2024 confirming it.

While the MAM has now been a nexus for artistic innovation, progression, and memory, it has not been without its stroke of fate. In 1978, an electrical short circuit or a burning cigarette (still unclear) ended in a blazing fire, destroying almost 90% of the museum's original collection; about 1000 artworks by artists such as Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Klee, Magritte, Van Gogh, Matisse, Torres-García, Portinari, and many others. At that point, the museum became an additional symbol of resilience by rebuilding its collection and exhibition space with the support of private collectors, art lovers, and their donations.

Still outside the museum, an impactful impression struck me: The supporting pillars of the MAM create small, separate spaces in which groups of young people come together to hang out and relax, or choreograph and record their TikTok dances right in front of the black mirrored glass façade. I caught myself thinking that even if the exhibition wouldn't be fascinating, at least the museum has found a new cultural level of how it is being used. Boy, was I wrong!

The MAM has a distinct entrance area showcasing an impressive staircase molded out of concrete, almost resembling the famous "Golden Spiral" or nautilus shell if looked at from above (see here). On the entrance floor, visitors can learn about the history of the museum and pay their entrance fee. The helical staircase leads to the first floor, currently showcasing the private collection of art lover and longtime supporter of Rio's art scene, Gilberto Chateaubriand. It is a uniquely curated exhibition separated into five distinct areas: Origins, Borders, Artists, a "Manifesto of Brazilian Art," and lastly, the area that interested me personally the most, Portraits.

Chateaubriand was famous for his intimate interest in the artists themselves and their individual processes. To no surprise, he commissioned and bought many artist portraits over time; one more revealing than the next, not only about the artists responsible for the individual works but sometimes about the collector himself.

In a dark corner behind the self-portrait area of Chateaubriand's collection, a black curtain lured me in to take a closer look, and this is where my emotional journey at the MAM began.

When I approached the curtain, a young helper at the museum asked me something I didn't understand and then pointed kindly to a sign that said "Attention please. This space is not suited for light-sensitive visitors and might lead to cases of epilepsy." I have a lot of issues, but I was glad, especially in retrospect, that this is not one of them.

After entering the space, the title of the exhibition "Anos-Luz" is presented on a screen in the first corner of a winding pitch-dark corridor, before, in the opposite corner, a more in-depth description of the topic is displayed in a lightly animated format.

"Nothing is seen without light."

—Lorenzo Ghiberti, Sculptor, Florence, 15th century

Yet the more important point is made about what makes us see less: Darkness:

After the introductory area, visitors enter a seemingly vast space, literally threaded together by guided, parallel white strings (approximately 65,000 meters of elastic thread) that span the entirety of the room. The side walls reflect poetry and calculation formulas at specific intervals, along with soundtracks, as well as spoken text, which are blended together interchangeably. Additionally, separate boxes are installed around a centered space that shows a gigantic plate which looks like it came from an alien planet. All in all, the installation is incredibly immersive, emotional, and touching, which led me to unintentionally shed tears as I was standing there, listening and observing.

Bia Lessa, a multi-disciplinary director and visual artist, is the mastermind behind the installation that explores how light vs. darkness and energy vs. movement serve to explore astronomical distance. Her work incorporates an extensive (18x7 meters) original work by Milton Machado. The central "plate" is sensibly illuminated in quite the right balance with everything else happening in the space and captures the essence of the exhibition: light, shadow, and perception. Lessa's installation feels like a visual poetic journey, creating a space for self-discovery within the context of the whole:

Sound on --> https://youtube.com/shorts/Sg1MxnIyKv0?si=n2VXMWqY_LOKGwGe

"Anos-Luz" is still running until November 16th this year, and if you are reading this and will be in Rio until then, I highly recommend visiting it. I have visited museums and art exhibitions all over the world, from extremely famous to relatively unknown ones, and it definitely takes something special to impress me. It has been a while, but this one truly impressed me and deeply moved me emotionally.

Art is not about being good or bad. It depends on whether the artist and their original intention meet you at the right time in the right place, which might lead to a connection or not. The times when art could be measured simplistically were also the times when not the artists made the rules about the subject, but rather their benefactors or clients. The "luxury" artists have today, and we should all support, is the freedom to explore the medium they use, the message they wish to convey, and their emotional state of being. Art is not about knowing anything about it, but connecting with it, if you ask me.

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