o grivo

With its high‑spirited, seemingly precarious gadgets, O Grivo (b. 1990, Belo Horizonte, Brazil) belongs in the select group of Brazilian audiovisual artists, such as the Chelpa Ferro collective or Paulo Nenflidio, who are well inserted into the context of the visual arts, and whose works include the use of unexpected apparatuses. Unlike the abovementioned, however, and partly due to the musical background of its members, the art of O Grivo prioritizes sonority: even though visual effect is far from casual, image is a consequence of the musical dimension. The sound routes they create, give rise to a new way of hearing, and a new way of seeing sound‑generating mechanisms.

The collective first became known for the musical productions they made for other artists, such as Cao Guimarães, Lucas Bambozzi, Rivane Neuenschwander, and Valeska Soares, among others. The strong visual appeal of their installations, however, caused the duo to be recognized for the visual quality of their works, and not only their sound composition, especially after the show Antarctica artes com a folha (1996).

Nelson Soares and Marcos Moreira comprise O Grivo. They were born in Belo Horizonte, where they live and work. They featured in the 28th São Paulo Biennial, Brazil (2008); and in the 8th Mercosul Biennial, in Porto Alegre, Brazil (2008). Solo exhibitions include: O Grivo – Improviso, at Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR) (2018), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Puzzling Is Not a Solitary Game, at Triple Canopy (2017), in New York, USA; O Grivo, at Nara Roesler (2015), in São Paulo, Brazil; Objetos de medida, at Palácio das Artes (2014), in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Estación Experimental, at Universidad Laboral (2011), in Gijon, Spain. Selected group exhibitions include: Máquina do mundo: Arte e indústria no Brasil, 1901-2021, at Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (2021), in São Paulo, Brazil; Lado B: O disco de vinil na arte contemporânea brasileira, at Sesc Belenzinho (2019), in São Paulo, Brazil; Esculturas para ouvir, at Museu Brasileiro de Escultura e Ecologia (MuBE) (2018), in São Paulo, Brazil; Soundtracks, at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) (2017), in San Francisco, USA. O Grivo's works can be found in the collections of Instituto Itaú Cultural, São Paulo, Brazil; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), San Francisco, USA.