É de SANTO, é de BARRO Antonio Pulquério

Project 280X1020 hosts "É de SANTO, é de BARRO" [It's of a Saint, it's of Clay], an intervention by Antonio Pulquério (b. Campos Sales, CE, 1967). The work fits into a contemporary art tradition that subverts the minimalist modular logic born from 1960s pop art. Pulquério handcrafts a series of fired clay modules which, from a distance, form a grid, but up close resemble Espadas de São Jorge (Saint George's Sword) or Santa Bárbara (Saint Barbara's Sword), a plant of African origin.
 

The work, with an introductory text by Tadeu Chiarelli, intertwines the earthly and the divine, reflecting Brazilian cultural syncretism. With its multifaceted structure, "É de SANTO, é de BARRO" references offerings to Catholic saints who, in Brazil, are intertwined with African-matrix deities like Ogum and Iansã. This exemplary confluence becomes a portrait of the layers that structure contemporary art in the country, celebrating cultural resistance and survival.