Rivane Neuenschwander: knife does not cut fire

Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein is pleased to present the first comprehensive solo exhibition in the German-speaking world of the internationally renowned Brazilian artist Rivane Neuenschwander (born 1967 in Belo Horizonte, lives and works in São Paulo). knife does not cut fire, including approximately fifty works, showcases Neuenschwander’s diverse oeuvre with emphasis on her most recent production. On display will be paintings, objects, films, textile works and expansive installations in which visitors can participate. The artist has created a number of new artworks, which continue themes explored in earlier series, especially for the exhibition at Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein.

Neuenschwander is interested in the societal questions of our time and often links them with traditions from Brazilian culture. Fears and hopes are recurrent themes in her work. Poetically and sensuously, she experiments with language, time or intervenes in the transformational processes of life, giving viewers a palpable sense of how her works play between aesthetic lightness and menacing seriousness.

The title of the show is taken from a poem by the famous Portuguese lyric poet Herberto Helder (1930–2015) and testifies to Neuenschwander’s trust in the power of poetry. At the same time, this quote possesses considerable social relevance: no knife can open people’s hearts, let alone put out “political” fires. Instead, it is an instrument which, when turned against someone, causes fear.

In 2015 the artist began designing capes with children to protect them from their fears. The collaborative work The Name of Fear is an important focal point of the exhibition and was continued with schools in Liechtenstein and Switzerland especially for this show. In workshops the children named their fears—such as claustrophobia, fear of the dark or snakes—and made capes based on drawings to shield them from these fears. Starting out from these garments—some of which resemble carnival, animal or superhero costumes—the artist collaborated with the Brazilian designer Guto Carvalhoneto to create the protective capes that are on display and that children can try on. An octagonal platform in front of a large mirrored wall invites visitors to perform with the capes.

The show also features works expressing wishing, freedom, experimentation and play. For example, I Wish Your Wish (2003), harks back to a custom from the Brazilian Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim in Salvador. On the walls of the exhibition hang thousands of colourful ribbons with wishes printed on them. Visitors are invited to choose a wish-ribbon and tie it around their wrist and, conversely, to leave wishes (“I Wish”) for others (“Your Wish”). The tradition has it that the wishes will be fulfilled if the ribbon falls off on its own. As colourful and playful as I Wish Your Wish may seem at first sight, the small-print wishes often also speak of existential worries or fears.

In her oeuvre, Neuenschwander explores fears and hopes, demonstrating how they define people and society. Her works testify to a great interest in cultural, psychological and sociological questions, but also to processes of nature and their global effects. There is thus a profoundly philosophical understanding in her works in which she puts the human perspective into perspective; for example, the passage of time, the power of the nature or the activity of animals, that the artist stages as formative protagonists. 

A Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein production, curated by Christiane Meyer-Stoll.

Exhibition publication
A publication is forthcoming in spring 2022 that will feature short texts on Neuenschwander’s work, essays by Venezuelan curator Julieta González and Portuguese sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos and an interview between the artist and Christiane Meyer-Stoll.

Online artist talk: Thursday, February 24, 2022, 6pm
Rivane Neuenschwander. knife does not cut fire
With Rivane Neuenschwander and Christiane Meyer-Stoll.
In English, please register to take part in the discussion via Zoom.

Accompanying programme
Please check our website for regular updates on our program. For further information, please contact our press office.