Aguilar

A Multifaceted Brazilian Artist

José Roberto Aguilar, born in São Paulo in 1941, is a self-taught artist whose career spans a wide range of artistic expressions, including painting, video, performance, sculpture, literature, music, and curation. In 1956, he joined Jorge Mautner and José Agripino de Paula in the performative-literary movement Kaos. His participation in the 7th São Paulo International Biennial in 1963 marked the beginning of his prominence in the art scene.

Aguilar is considered one of the pioneers of new figuration in Brazil, making his mark in the Opinião 65 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro. During this period, he adopted innovative techniques such as spray painting and airbrushing. His stays in London and New York between 1969 and 1975 were crucial for his experiments with video.

Returning to São Paulo in 1976, Aguilar made an impact at the 14th São Paulo International Biennial with his installation "Circo Antropofágico Ambulante Cósmico e Latino-Americano," a work that combined art and technology in a pioneering way. In 1981, he founded the Banda Performática and published "The Brazilian Divine Comedy." After becoming a disciple of Rajneesh in 1983, he began signing his works as Aguilar Vigyan, reflecting his spiritual journey.

The "Storming of the Bastille" performance in 1989, involving 300 artists and witnessed by a crowd in São Paulo, stood out as one of his most ambitious projects. In the following decades, Aguilar explored diverse formats and materials in his works, from paintings on giant canvases to sculptures in glass and ceramics.

From 1995 to 2002, Aguilar directed the cultural space Casa das Rosas in São Paulo, significantly contributing to the city's cultural scene. In 2003, he was appointed representative of the Ministry of Culture in São Paulo, consolidating his influence and legacy in the Brazilian artistic panorama.

Sources:
Photo: http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/2014/03/1424014-analise-obra-de-jose-roberto-aguilar-antecipou-a-arte-de-rua.shtml
Text: Blombô research and curation, with the support of artificial intelligence for content writing and structuring.