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Americas Society
All Existing Materials on Earth
January 25–May 20, 2023
New York
Bispo Do Rosário: All Existing Materials on Earth is not the unruly display the exhibition’s title would have you believe. Born in Brazil in 1909, Arthur Bispo do Rosário spent much of his life confined to mental institutions after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. His vision of God calling him was to make a detailed catalog of the entire world. This would include all of its inhabitants as well as their possessions. The vision he had shaped his work, and his unique style. More than simply a survey of the artist’s extensive output, the Americas Society’s exhibition lays out a narrative that elucidates the artist’s personal history, hybrid spiritual beliefs, and expansive worldview.
Opening the exhibition, Bispo’s hand-embroidered “Roupas (garments),” which he referred to as “uniforms,” reveal the everyday modes he used to negotiate and express his ambitious mandate from God. The most iconic piece he made. Untitled [Manto da apresentação (Annunciation garment)] The (n.d.) that he planned to wear to Judgement Day is embroided with everyday objects as well as abstract designs. While the interior displays names of those he met during his lifetime, such as doctors, nurses and patients, the inside shows his friends’ names. Two regalia jackets are flanked it with star-studded insignia, including service stripes, service stripes and stars. The star-studded sidewall Untitled [“Eu vi Cristo” (I saw Christ)] (n.d.), he detailed the story, date, and time of his 1938 mission that heralded the start of his 50-year “encyclopedic endeavor.” These uniforms recall the time he spent in the Brazilian navy, but more affectingly disclose Bispo’s regimental mandate to carry out his project like some form of dutiful charge, an idea present in his precise linework.
Bispo’s formal rigor comes into focus in his fabric reconstructions of everyday objects such as scissors, lamps, and paint rollers, each embroidered with the object’s name and serial number that corresponds to a catalog system that reaches almost 1000 items. He used sheets, blankets, towels, or any piece of rag he could get his hands on, and even unraveled patients’ uniforms into blue thread for sewing material. These sculptural objects are neighbored by his “Vitrines,” panels of found objects he acquired through collecting and exchanging with others in the Colônia Juliano Moreira, a psychiatric facility destination for the homeless and mentally ill, where Bispo spent much of his life. On the far back wall of the Americas Society, a tapestry of his “Vitrines” panels lined with conga shoes, plastic combs, and mugs replicates Bispo’s systematic syntax. A self-made set of chess pieces and pieces hang nearby. This is a strong example of how structure and playfulness converged in Bispo’s practice.
At first glance, the scope of Bispo’s project may seem incompatible with the institutional confinement in which he lived. Bispo was both mentally disabled and excluded from all aspects of the world, so how can he hope to complete the map? Yet, Bispo’s project appears to be a triumph over those conditions. He could express himself through his embroidery and assert agency in a world that tried to rob him of those qualities.
His “Estandartes (Banners)” deepen this paradox. Some banners feature text and statements that express a sense of purpose and determination, such as “Eu preciso dessas palavra escritas” (“I need these words written”), which highlights the urgency to preserve his memories while confined in an environment that suppressed individuality. Other “Estandartes” are adorned with a diverse range of modern iconographies, from lively carousels and playgrounds to massive military warships and national embassies. The rich imagery shows a different perspective from an inmate isolated in a psychiatric facility.
It is tempting to think of Bispo’s work, like that of other artists conventionally grouped under the parameters of the “Outsider” or other approximate synonyms, as launching back and forth from the margins of society to the forefront of artistic innovation. However, such simplistic views miss the complexity and depth that Bispo’s artistry. He rejected the idea of being an artist, and he did not believe in traditional models for creative production. Bispo’s work transcends the boundaries of traditional art historical categories and embodies a unique synthesis of the real and fantastical, as well as the material and symbolic. Bispo was able overcome the hospitalization exclusionary principle by recreating his world from his cell. His project could be considered a cultural subversion, challenging the idea of institutionalization.