On September 13, “Escada-Palafita”, Iole de Freitas’ fifth solo exhibition at the gallery, will open. The show will feature 10 new works by the artist – 9 sculptures and a video installation – which include her most recent artistic production, expanding on the issues addressed in the exhibition Iole de Freitas: Colapsada, em pé (Collapsed, Standing), currently on show at the Tomie Ohtake Institute (São Paulo), especially with regard to the video installations escada (Ladder) and fragmentos (Fragments).

Iole presents works in various formats using the Ladder as a reference, contrasting sculptures painted by hand with sand on stainless steel – which work on curves and twists – with those made of paper with sand, keeping the edges sharp, which the artist has called asteroids. With this, the sculptor highlights an interesting contrast: how a heavy material like steel can become visually light, and how a light material like paper can become dense and heavy.

The poetics of tsunamis with their great waves will be present in a steel and polycarbonate sculpture. There will also be a new video installation named after the exhibition, Escada-Palafita, which broadens the spectrum of dance and the sonority drawn from metals.

Iole de Freitas began her training in contemporary dance in Rio de Janeiro, where she moved at the age of six. She studied at the School of Industrial Design of the State University of Rio de Janeiro and, in 1970, moved to Milan (Italy), where she began her artistic production and participation in exhibitions, as well as working as a designer at Olivetti’s Corporate Image Studio, under the guidance of architect Hans von Klier.

Throughout her five-decade career, Iole de Freitas has taken part in important international exhibitions, such as the Paris Biennale (France, 1975), the São Paulo Biennale (1979), the 5th Mercosul Biennale (2005) and Documenta (Germany, 2007), as well as solo and group shows in various cities around the world. His works are part of important collections, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art at the University of São Paulo; the Museums of Modern Art in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Niterói; the Museum of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro; the Rio Art Museum; the Bronx Museum (USA); the Winnipeg Art Gallery (Canada); and the Daros Foundation (Switzerland).