Art critic Frederico Morais argues that art as a social necessity must form an integral part of national consciousness and be considered a facet of freedom. He supports attempts to create conditions conducive to enabling the masses to perceive the environment in which they circulate, therefore activating their senses. Morais suggests that in order to manifest their playful spirit, museums devise activities linked to public and everyday spaces. In his view, art that extends into a broader range of situations, events, rituals, and celebrations, whether of an individual or collective nature, becomes part of life itself. Morais points out that while the end of representation, use of metaphor and of the organic in art may be at hand, art has been enriched by boundless expansion in space and time. He argues that art resides in the body, in the environment, [and is part of] a growing “dematerialization” that is taking hold of human experience. In his view, the art object was established by Pop art and is located at the return to the body and to the earth; the body provides a relationship with the senses and participation, whereas the earth provides the natural elements of life. Morais foresees the advent of a new humanism at the core of which lies an unencumbered individual and creator who is peaceful and free. Insofar as art is an experience bound to freedom, it should be fostered and supported by the government.

The manifesto “Do corpo à terra” [From Body to Earth] was published in conjunction with an event of the same name organized by Frederico Morais (b. 1936), a groundbreaking figure in art criticism in Brazil. The event, which was held at the Parque Municipal de Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais, coincided with the opening of the exhibition Objeto e Participação at the Palácio das Artes. Both events formed part of what was called the Semana de Vanguarda. This text was published under the title “Da semana de vanguarda (I)” and “Da semana de vanguarda (II)” in Mari’Stella Tristão’s column in the newspaper O Estado de Minas, Belo Horizonte, on April 28 and May 5, 1970, respectively.

With the passage of time, the event Do corpo à terra would become a milestone in contemporary Brazilian art because it brought together a large number of young artists making interventions, situations, and happenings for public space. Some of those works—specifically Artur Barrio’s situations and Cildo Meireles’s work on the revolutionary leader known as Tiradentes—spurred controversy.

After working initially as a film critic, Morais became a champion of experimental avant-garde art in articles published in a number of print media from Belo Horizonte, the capital of his home state. In 1967, Morais moved to Rio de Janeiro, where in the sixties and seventies he would become one of the most active “committed” critics on the art scene. Articles of his authorship were published in newspapers such as Diário de Notícias and O Globo. In the context of absolute censorship at the hands of the military pursuant to AI-5 (Institutional Act No. 5, 1969), Morais witnessed the emergence of a type of artistic production in Brazil that he called “counter-art” or “guerrilla art.” He came to question the position of the critic as one who stands in judgment, formulating and engaging in “new criticism,” which entailed operating from within the sphere of the artist’s production and working in direct contact with the artist.

For a related text, see Frederico Morais’ “Contra a arte afluente: o corpo é o motor da ‘obra’” [doc. no. 1110685].

For additional information, see Francisco Bittencourt’s “A geração tranca ruas,” Jornal do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, May 9, 1970.