Rivane Neuenschwander & Cao Guimarães
, live and work in São Paulo, BRA
In 2021 De Pont acquired the video Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue (Ash Wednesday) by Rivane Neuenschwander and Cao Guimarães.
From a low vantage point and close-up of the camera, we see armies of red and black ants moving brightly colored confetti through the rain forest. The ants refer to a statement by the antihero Macunaíma in Mário de Andrade’s eponymous novel from 1928. The work’s title refers to Ash Wednesday, the melancholy period following Carnival and the start of Lent. The work is regarded as an allegory for the rhythm of work and leisure, and as one of the most poignant works of Brazilian art from recent decades.