Ascânio MMM

Born in Fão, Portugal, in 1941, moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1959, where he lives and works. His academic background includes courses at the National School of Fine Arts between 1963 and 1964 and a degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (FAU/UFRJ), completed in 1969. He worked as an architect until 1976, but began developing his artistic practice as early as 1966.

His first exhibition took place at the I April Salon at the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro in 1966, highlighted by the "Caixas," interactive works composed of wooden cubes that allow viewers to create different visual compositions.

The 1970s marked a deepening of the relationship between his work and sculpture, architecture, mathematics, and philosophy, developing pieces from modules of wooden slats, exploring light and shadow effects. In the 1980s, his sculptures evolved to use raw wood, valuing the natural tones and textures of various types of wood.

From the 1990s, Ascânio focused on large installations for public spaces, using aluminum as the main material. His works from this phase are notable for the interplays of transparency and opacity created by rectangular aluminum tubes, which interact with light and the viewer's perspective.

In the 2000s, Ascânio developed Flexos and Qualas, using stainless steel wires and rings to create flexible and permeable structures. The 2010s saw the continuation of his work with aluminum in the Quasos, exploring twists and bends through geometric deconstructions.

Ascânio MMM's trajectory is documented and analyzed in the works "Ascânio MMM: Poetics of Reason" (BEĨ Publisher, 2012) and "Ascânio MMM" (Andrea Jakobsson Publisher, 2005), with contributions from renowned critics and curators.

Sources:
Photo: https://oglobo.globo.com/cultura/artes-visuais/ascanio-mmm-as-curvas-possiveis-do-aluminio-13676638
Text: Blombô research and curation, with the support of artificial intelligence for content writing and structuring.