Rivane Neuenschwander

The multifaceted works of conceptual artist Rivane Neuenschwander (1967, Belo Horizonte, Brazil) are characterised by their simple execution and complex underlying ideas that stem from astute observations of everyday life and the discovery of a metaphorical dimension therein.

The films by Neuenschwander chosen for Global Imaginations illustrate the shortcomings of cartography in a world in continual flux: continents shift, land becomes sea and people continually redraw borders. The films Contingent (2008) and Pangaea’s Diaries (2008) show continents made of honey and beef carpaccio. Hundreds of ants can be seen busily consuming the world. These works can be seen as a criticism of consumerism and modern man. We are consuming the earth at a rapid pace, completely exhausting its natural resources. The choice of ant was intentional: the ant inhabited the earth long before humans arrived, and will presumably outlive us too.

Rivane Neuenschwander lives and works in London, Great Britain.