Sêco 16 [Dry 16]

Hélio Oiticica was a member of the Rio de Janeiro-based Grupo Frente, which between 1954 and 1956 engaged in material, technical, and spatial experimentation through the use of geometric abstraction. Oiticica sought to erase the distinction between figure and background when making the gouache painting that comprise his “Sêco” series. Here, Oiticica integrates the surface of the cardboard and the painted elements into a unified composition. Because most of the cardboard is unpainted, its surface functions as an active compositional element.