Grupo Nervo Óptico

Superfície Exhibitions +

Nervo Óptico — Conceitualismo e experimentação nos anos 70

Artists:
Carlos Asp, Carlos Pasquetti, Clóvis Dariano, Mara Álvares, Telmo Lanes and Vera Chaves Barcellos

The Nervo Óptico [Optical Nerve] Group was a movement of avant-garde artists from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, active between 1976 and 1978. Its inventive production — mainly using photography as a support for experimentation — stands out for its criticism of the market logic as conduit for cultural policies.

The history of Nervo Óptico Group begins in 1976, when young artists from Porto Alegre began to gather. In those gatherings, Carlos Asp, Carlos Pasquetti, Clóvis Dariano, Jesus Escobar, Mara Álvares, Telmo Lanes, Romanita Disconzi and Vera Chaves Barcellos wrote and signed a manifesto, criticizing the market ideology as conduit for cultural policies. They soon began what they called Continuous Activities, which consisted of two days of exposure of objects, graphic works, photographs, installations, artist’s books, projections, performances, actions and debates, at the headquarters of MARGS (Museu de Arte do Rio Grande do Sul).

Nervo Óptico was the name adopted by Carlos Asp, Carlos Pasquetti, Clóvis Dariano, Mara Álvares, Telmo Lanes and Vera Chaves Barcellos, in 1977, to name a monthly publication “open to new visual poetry”. Printed in off-set, in the format of “posters”, this graphic material was distributed free of charge. Published monthly for 13 months, each edition contained unpublished works by artists from the group or invited artists. With the publication of the “posters”, the work of the artists began to reverberate outside the state. The group began to be known as Nervo Óptico, a name given by the critic Frederico Morais in a newspaper article and later adopted by the group.

The activities of the group were extended until 1978 with the creative sessions, which yielded an abundant photographic material of experimental actions and activities, characterized by humor and inventive games. Nervo Óptico Group also participated in other exhibitions, such as those held at the Galeria Eucatexto and the Instituto de Artes, at the Centro Cultural São Paulo and at the Vera Chaves Barcellos Foundation, in Rio Grande do Sul.

Artwork

Nervo Óptico

Untitled, 1970s Photography 30 × 40 cm

Nervo Óptico

Untitled, 1970s Photography 30 × 40 cm

Nervo Óptico

Untitled (Grupo do Sarampo), 1977 Photography 30 × 24 cm

Nervo Óptico

Sociedade Anônima, 1978 Photography 35 × 50 cm

Carlos Pasquetti, Clóvis Dariano, Fernanda Cony e Mara Álvares

Triacantho, 1975/2018 Crayon and charcoal on cotton paper print Polyptych of 6, 148 × 79 cm each

Carlos Pasquetti e Clóvis Dariano

Procissão, 1970s Photography 12.5 × 18.7 cm

Vera Chaves Barcellos

Gestos, 1977 Photography on silver gelatin 70 × 50 cm

Vera Chaves Barcellos

Da Capo, 1979 Offset printing on paper Book with 7 pages, 34 × 12.5 cm

Vera Chaves Barcellos

Epidermic Scapes, 1977/2018 Mineral pigment on paper Polyptych of 20, 25 × 30 cm each

Vera Chaves Barcellos

One Way, Two Ways, 1975 Photography on silver gelatin 21 × 70 cm

Vera Chaves Barcellos, Flavio Pons e Claudio Goulart

On Ice, 1978 Photography 105 × 105 cm each

Vera Chaves Barcellos

Keep Smiling, 1977 Photography on silver gelatin 33.5 × 33.5 cm

Vera Chaves Barcellos

Keep Smiling 2, 1977 Photography on silver gelatin 33.5 × 33.5 cm

Vera Chaves Barcellos

Maras, 1977/2009 Photography 63 × 47.5 cm

Vera Chaves Barcellos

Estudo para Dissolução da Imagem, 1977 Photography on silver gelatin 35.5 × 25.5 cm