Paulo Bruscky (b. 1949), the artist from Recife, began his career in the late 1960s, and was involved in the international Mail Art movement. He took part in the Fluxus exhibitions in various parts of the world, and has an enormous collection of that group’s art. More recently he has produced performance art and other works associated with new media. His work reflects his constant involvement with his city and its art, which he has documented in the “author’s books” he has produced. The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York recently (September 2013–April 2014) presented Paulo Bruscky: Art Is Our Last Hope, his first solo exhibition in the United States. He expresses his critical-political ideas with ephemeral materials such as Xerox copies, faxes, and letter-sized and copy paper. At the height of the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964–85), he made a name for himself by committing an act of violence: Enterro aquático (1972), challenging the country’s repression and cultural censorship by painting the word “ARTE” [art] on a coffin and throwing it into the Capibaribe River in Recife.
Other Bruscky articles and projects are “A tipografia e os livros de arte em Pernambuco no século XX” [doc. no. 1110798], and “Arte correio e a grande rede: hoje, a arte é este comunicado” [doc. no. 1110683]. For more on Mail Art in Brazil, see by Francisco Bittencourt “Identidade do artista: Ângelo de Aquino” [doc. no. 1110493].