The multifaceted practice of Cildo Meireles (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1948) explores the possibilities of audience participation, standing out for his pioneering installation-based experiments within Brazilian art. Developing relationships between the sensorial and the cerebral, and ranging in scale from the minuscule to the vast, the artist explores what he describes as the “physical, geometric, psychological, topographic, and anthropological.”
Meireles has made unparalleled contributions to conceptual art in Brazil, though he rejects systematic methods—each project develops its own biography while sharing underlying connections. His immersive works, whether sculptural, installation-based, or pictorial, consistently demonstrate critical engagement with art's institutional frameworks.
After studying with Peruvian artist Félix Barrenechea in Brasília (1963), Meireles lived in New York (1971–1973). Represented by Luisa Strina since 1981, his solo exhibitions there have marked pivotal moments in his career, including One and Some Chairs/Camouflages (2024); Cildo Meireles – No reino da foda: 1964-1987 (2023), Pling Pling (2014), Glovetrotter (2010/2000), Descalas (2003), Camelô (1998), Metros I (1992), Campos de jogos (1989), Cinza (1986), Obscura luz (1983), and Artigos Definidos & Espaços Virtuais: Cantos (1981).
His work has been exhibited globally at the Venice Biennale (37th, 50th, 51st, 53rd editions), São Paulo Biennial (16th, 20th, 24th, 29th), Istanbul Biennial (6th, 8th), Lofoten International Art Festival, Lyon Biennale (11th, 14th), and Documenta (9th, 11th). In 2023, he received Europe's prestigious Roswitha Haftmann Prize, becoming the first Latin American honoree in 22 years. Other accolades include: O Globo's Faz Diferença Award (2019), ABCA Prize (2015), Velázquez Visual Arts Prize (2008), APCA Award (2007), honorary doctorate from the San Francisco Art Institute (2005), and France's Officier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2005).
Major solo exhibitions include retrospectives at Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia, Bogotá (2020); SESC Pompéia, São Paulo (2019); Hangar Bicocca, Milan (2014); Reina Sofía, Madrid and Serralves Museum, Porto (2013–2014); Tate Modern, London (2008); and New Museum, New York (1999). Recent group shows feature at MoMA, New York (2023); MAM-Bahia, Salvador (2022); Fondation Carmignac, France (2019); and MASP, São Paulo (2017).
His works belong to leading collections worldwide: MoMA (New York), Tate (London), Inhotim (Brazil), 21st Century Museum (Kanazawa), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Reina Sofía (Madrid), LACMA (Los Angeles), Art Institute of Chicago, MASP, and MAM-SP/Rio, among others.