Zero Centavo, 1974-78 - Cildo Meireles

A leading conceptual artist, Cildo Campos Meireles's practice is situated between the Brazilian Neo-concrete movement, which advocated greater sensuality and color in art and a more conceptually based approach. The work utilizes a variety of media ranging from works on paper to large-scale installations, using materials as diverse as folded currency, cattle bones, coins, and communion wafers, shattered glass, hay and gold, aluminum mesh, and soccer balls. The works address issues ranging from political repression, economic inequality, and the impact of colonialism, treating the issues with a poetic beauty.

Meireles has been the recipient of such awards as the 2008 Velazquez Prize for Visual Arts and the 1999 Prince Clauss Award. His work has also received retrospective exhibitions in important institutions as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Tate Modern, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, Museu de Arte Moderna, São Paulo, and Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro. A dedicated pavilion at Inhotim Centro de Arte Contemporânea holds some of Meireles's important works in the permanent collection.Read Less