Description:Q1842

Published by the British Council to commemorate the participation of Mike Nelson in the 26th Bienal de Sao Paulo, Brazil 25 September - 9 December 2004. 'Modernismo Negro' was constructed over a period of four weeks in August and September 2004 for the 26th Bienal de Sao Paulo. Built out from the entrance-lobby to the goods lift at the centre of the Oscar Niemeyer designed Pavilhao Ciccillo Matarazzo, the work incorporated a five-metre high curved wall which extended into the exhibition hall on the second floor of the building. Enclosing an inner space and mezzanine level containing various objects and a sound element, 'Modernismo Negro' drew reference to both Niemeyer's architectural vision for the second half of the 20th century, and the complex nature of the relationships and belief systems at the heart of Brazil.