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Série Branca (White Series) and Bilaterals

The 'Série Branca' (White Series) is a group of white-on-white paintings never exhibited before and only recently restored for this exhibition.

In this series Oiticica explored ways of using casein emulsion with oil-based paint to control the density of the pigment and produce different tones of white. He also experimented with layering and brush techniques to maximise the effect of light on the colour. Later, he referred to white as 'the ideal colour-light, the synthesis-light of all colours'.

This series also marks the beginning of a period during which Oiticica made a theoretical and technical investigation of the temporal dimension of painting. He called this 'côr-tempo' (colour-time), and integrated the results of his research into his experiments with colour.

His research made a significant contribution to intellectual and artistic debates in Brazil at the time. In 1960 Oiticica joined the Neo-Concrete group, a Rio-based movement that broke with the principles of the Concrete movement, that had originated in Sao Paulo, by reacting against its extreme rationalism and advocating an expanded creative freedom.

As a result of his work on the White Series, Oiticica had reached a point where he was looking for new ways either to let space into a painting, or to open it up to its surroundings. This gave rise to the 'Bilaterais' (Bilaterals): a new form somewhere between painting and architecture. Oititica called them 'paintings in space'.

The first of the series – the Bilateral Equali – consists of five squares or 'canvases' arranged in space hanging from the ceiling. These squares are composed of two-toned white areas and suggest virtual cubes.

In the rest of the Bilaterals, the artist cuts the planes into irregular shapes. These two-sided, two-toned (white-on-white) works still require active engagement; you have to walk around them to see both sides. They invite exploration and, like the White Series, offer a quiet, contemplative experience.