Paweł Althamer
Ultraleve, 2011
Eixao Rodoviario Asa Norte, Brasilia
Ultraleve by Paweł Althamer is an installation interfering in the public space of Brasilia. The Brazilian capital, built “on the raw root” in the country’s interior was founded as the embodiment of modernist utopia of ideal city. Designed by Lucio Costa, in collaboration with Oscar Niemeyer its urban plan took the shape of an airplane. This form became a direct source of inspiration for Althamer’s project. The artist inscribed his installation in the local context, at the same time making a reference to political reality in his native Poland. The Brazilian “wing” has been adorned with a checkerboard in the national colors. The Polish embassy’s employees, living permanently in the city of Brasila, were invited to participate in the process of installing the work and therefore have become a link between two ostensibly distant territories.
The project was realized within the framework of Aberto Brasilia, curated by Wagner Barja, the director of Museu Nacional do Conjunto Cultural da Republica in Brasilia for the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil.
Commissioned and produced by Open Art Projects
Financially supported by Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Partner: Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Brasilia
