Lydia Okumura

Okumura had her first solo exhibition in 1968 and later was part of Equipe3 (1970-1979) along with artists Francisco Iñarra and Genilson Soares. She contributed in a fundamental way to the development of ephemeral site-specific installations and many of them are documented in MAC-USP, Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Hall Art Foundation - Germany, MetropolitanNY, MoMA (New York) and Guggenheim (Abu Dhabi). First impressions of Lydia Okumura’s individual work can easily be misleading. For almost 50 years, the Brazilian-born, New York based artist has been investigating the interstice between two and three-dimensional space through precise, site-specific installations. Mostly using acrylic paint, cotton string, painted aluminum sheets, charcoal and pencil, Okumura constructs abstract geometric compositions that project from the walls into three-dimensional space. Although her practice can be framed within the minimalist tradition, op art is also at play. Through modest interventions, Okumura enhances our awareness of our bodily presence in the exhibition space.