mies van der rohe pavilion blooms with tropical intervention by caio reisewitz

barcelona Pavilion Transformed with ‘Suspendre el cel’

The clean, rational architecture of Mies van der Rohe‘s beloved Barcelona Pavilion has been transformed with a tropical intervention by Brazilian artist Caio Reisewitz. Titled Suspendre el cel, the project has been created in collaboration with the Prats Nogueras Blanchard gallery to address several pressing issues currently affecting Brazil — these include the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, the weakening of environmental protection policies, and the ongoing cultural erasure of indigenous populations. Such concerns are at the core of his intervention, which brings to the Barcelona Pavilion a space for reflection and dialogue about environmental and cultural degradation.

The project has opened in time for the Barcelona Gallery Weekend, and will be on view for the public from September 18th to October 10th, 2024.

images © Anna Mas

caio reisewitz Addresses Critical Issues in Brazil

Artist Caio Reisewitz makes use of an abundance of plant life to bring a didactic intervention to the iconic Barcelona Pavilion, designed by architect Mies van der Rohe for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona Spain. The project’s title, Suspendre el cel (to suspend the sky), is inspired by the teachings of Yanomami activist shaman Davi Kopenawa and indigenous leader Ailton Krenak, who advocate for a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature. The phrase refers to the Yanomami belief that the earth was created from a fragment of the sky, and that forgetting ancestral knowledge could lead to the sky collapsing once again. This worldview underscores the fragile balance between human actions and the environment, a theme central to Reisewitz’s work.

For the artist, the Amazon represents not only an environmental treasure but also a critical cultural resource and the foundation of Brazilian civilization. His work intertwines art and political activism as tools of resistance, aiming to ‘suspend the sky’ by drawing attention to the global significance of the Amazon. His message is clear — protecting this essential ecosystem is not only a Brazilian issue but a planetary one.

Caio Reisewitz’s Suspendre el cel addresses urgent environmental and cultural issues in Brazil

Symbiosis Between Nature and Architecture

The intervention by Caio Reisewitz highlights the unique relationship between the interior and exterior spaces of Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion, a dialogue between architecture and nature. This concept is deeply rooted in the works of Brazilian Modernist architects like Roberto Burle Marx, Oscar Niemeyer, and Lina Bo Bardi, who prioritized the integration of their buildings with the surrounding natural environment. These influences resonate with the pavilion’s own design, which merges built spaces with the surrounding landscape, emphasizing the importance of coexisting with nature.

One of Reisewitz’s primary references for Suspendre el cel is Lina Bo Bardi’s House of Glass, an iconic example of how Brazilian modernism embraced the natural environment. The house’s glass walls, designed to blur the boundaries between interior and exterior, parallel the transparent walls of the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion. Both structures create a seamless interaction with their surroundings, underscoring the message that nature is an integral part of human life and design.

the installation draws attention to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest

Reisewitz’s intervention incorporates nearly six hundred plants, chosen from the Vivers Barri nursery in Gavà, Catalonia. The selection includes a variety of tropical and Mediterranean species, such as palm trees, strelitzias, alocacias, ficus, and philodendrons, which form a dense mass of greenery within the pavilion. This botanical arrangement recalls the works of landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, who integrated plant species from the Amazon and tropical regions into his designs. Historical exhibitions like Brazil Builds at MoMA (1943) and Mies van der Rohe’s own exhibitions have also emphasized the architectural role of plants in connecting built environments with nature.

To complement the installation, a public conversation will be held on October 1st, 2024, featuring Caio Reisewitz, architect Isabella Lenzi, known for her work in sustainable urban planning, and Claudia Segura, a curator specializing in contemporary art. This discussion will unpack the themes of the intervention, exploring the intersection of art, activism, and architecture in addressing environmental and cultural challenges.

Suspendre el cel (Suspend the sky), nods to the Yanomami emphasis of the balance of humanity and nature