Construction, Deconstruction, Reconstruction presents Brazilian modernist photography through the prism of the work of the Foto Cine Clube Bandeirante (FCCB), an amateur photography club in São Paulo that established itself as a cradle of innovative practices and research, revolutionizing Brazilian photography and fostering its globalization and institutionalization.
Founded in 1939, the group evolved during a period marked by the emergence of international movements and trends characteristic of Brazilian culture, such as concrete and neo-concrete art, Cinema Novo, and Bossa Nova.
The Bandeirantes engaged in new experiments, renewing ways of seeing and experiencing the city in its transformation, while embracing the plural forms of photography, from its conventional practice to the use of photograms, photomontages, and other interventions on reproductions and negatives.
The exhibition brings together thirty-three photographers from diverse backgrounds. The works of Geraldo de Barros, German Lorca, Thomaz Farkas, José Oiticica Filho, Marcel Giró, and Gertrudes Altschul are displayed alongside those of pioneering artists of Brazilian neo-concrete art who share similar visual languages, such as Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, and Hélio Oiticica.
Construction, deconstruction, reconstruction—a title inspired by the concrete poetry practiced in Brazil at the time—are three dimensions of modernity present in the exhibition. These aspects reveal all the specificities of the FCCB’s modernist experience, reveal its paradoxes, and introduce its decisive place within the vast international network of photography clubs, while simultaneously encouraging critical reflection on the imaginary of modern Brazil and the contradictions of its societal project.
By revisiting the significant output of the Foto Cine Clube Bandeirante, Construction, Deconstruction, Reconstruction highlights its scope: while the São Paulo School of Photography [Escola Paulista] is recognized and established in Latin America, it is still little-known internationally. Through this unique perspective, the exhibition redefines the contours of the history of modern photography and its reference points.
Helouise Costa and Marcella Legrand Marer (Curators)
Construction, Deconstruction, Reconstruction, Brazilian Modernist Photography (1939-1964)
General Mechanics
July 7 – October 5, 2025
9:30 AM – 7:30 PM
