Rubber Tree

The artist’s work derives from his travels among cultures where art and the invisible are still indissociable, as in Japanese, Arabic and Tibetan calligraphy, in which drawing is a form of communication with the invisible powers of the cosmos. Charley Case devotes a great deal of his work to trees, which, in many cultures, serve as mediators or even mediums, a function shared with certain types of drawing. At Matarazzo Hospital, Case was drawn to two huge, century-old trees which seem to stand guard at one of the entrances to the exhibition. The energy running through these trees reemerges as a drawing fluidly spilling across the walls, floor and ceiling, spreading out like a broken wave. The artist wanted to put his art in the service of the rubber tree, which he pays tribute to by evoking different planes, such as the subterranean, aerial, and cosmic. With this connection established, the tree transforms into a real cosmogony, a world-tree, inhabited by tiny creatures discernible in the waves of paint applied directly onto the wall. Humanity, perhaps? Or are they the spirits of the tide where light meets dark? It is true that the artist is particularly sensitive to the excesses and deviances of modern society when it comes to nature and life. This is the main reason why he invokes the tree and its energies, and brings it offerings of fruit and amethysts. Charley Case also proposed collaborations with other people he met at the Matarazzo site, among assistants, artists and staff. These encounters gave rise to group drawings inspired by São Paulo graffiti. These frescoes dedicated to water resulted in a homage to whales, Amazonian fish and the goddess Yemanjá.