Straight from the House of Trophies—Ouro Velho

Adriano Costa reinterprets the approach and aesthetic of Neo-Concretism—specifically as manifest in the work of Brazilian artists such as Hélio Oiticica—in this array of gold-painted household towels. Blending random selection with geometrical composition, the artist disregards the objects’ original function to create a flexible “pre-sculpture.” The work’s color and title (Ouro Velho translates into English as “old gold”) evoke the monetary incentive for colonization, as well as the new materialism that has accompanied recent rapid economic growth in Brazil.