Each month, TATE ETC. publishes new poetry by leading poets such as John Burnside, Moniza Alvi, Adam Thorpe, Alice Oswald and David Harsent who respond to works from the Tate Collection. Subscribe to the Poem of the Month RSS feed.
This August Ilka Scobie presents her poem based on Hélio Oiticica’s Grand Nucleus, on display as part of The Body Of Colour exhibition, at Tate Modern until 23rd September.
Grand Nucleus 1960-6
Hélio Oiticia
To capture the benevolent sun,
build a new city
aglow with solar possibilities
requires geometric buoyancy
A cosmic leap
Unabashed color
that illuminates the soul
Tropical, topical
A pure jolt of burning yellow
Golden planes of promise
The sunshine samba
Hélio Oiticica
Grand Nucleus 1960–66
César and Claudio Oiticica Collection, Rio de Janeiro
Photo © Tate
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Previous poems
October 2007 Will Eaves presents his poem Crater
September 2007 Francesca Beard presents her poem Portrait of A Young Child In Blue at Tate Britain
August 2007 Ilka Scobie presents her poem based on Hélio Oiticica’s Grand Nucleus
July 2007 Pelé Cox presents her poem based on Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss
June 2007 Jacob Polley presents his poem based on Nicholas Hilliard’s Queen Elizabeth I
May 2007 Penelope Shuttle presents her poem based on Barbara Hepworth’s Garden Sculpture (Model for Meridian)
April 2007: Lawrence Sail presents his poem based on Bridget Riley’s Metamorphosis
March 2007: Tishani Doshi presents her poem based on Alberto Giacometti’s Walking Woman
February 2007: Anne Rouse presents her poem based on Andreas Gursky's 99 Cent, 1999
January 2007: Moniza Alvi's poem on Samuel Palmer's Coming From Evening Church 1830
December 2006: David Harsent's
poem based on Jean Dubuffet’s Le Arbres de Fluides 1950,
and Susan Hiller’s After the Freud Museum 1991-96
November 2006: John Burnside's poem on John Nash's The Cornfield 1918
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