Vanessa da Silva: Roda Viva

Drawing inspiration from da Silva’s own Brazilian heritage - family history, music, dance, and the legacy of Brazilian artists such as Hélio Oiticica- the exhibition explores themes around identity, ancestry, destiny, joy and memory. 

Roda Viva, which translates to ‘live wheel’, references life in motion or the movement in life. The exhibition- featuring textiles, sculptures and works on paper- is centred around the various cycles of lives, the histories carried from generation to generation, and the interconnectedness of past, present and future. 

The title also references the ‘roda de samba’ (circle of dance), where people gather together to dance, sing and play music, not only in street parties, but as a significant practice within religious ceremonies in Brazil. Such a circle, where the movement of bodies creates a vibration and rhythm, offers a powerful metaphor for collective existence and spiritual connection.

Challenging the formality of the space, colour, rhythm and movement combine to create a joyous visual and spatial experience, celebrating the expression of freedom. The sculptural forms invite reconsideration of our bodies as a permanent condition of experience. They present a site where spirit and reason intersect, exchange, decode, and fluctuate, attempting to make sense of all things worldly, and not. 

This exhibition is a reiteration of Roda Viva at Mostyn, curated by Kalliopi Tsipni Kolaza, Curator of Visual Arts.The exhibition is kindly supported by the Foundation Foundation, The Ampersand Foundation and the Henry Moore Foundation.