The Collector

The construction of the character named O Colecionador [The Collector] started in 1996 with the daily practice of cutting newspaper images, which are grouped and classified by theme, focusing on buildings, houses, or cities undergoing visible transformation: those that had been destroyed by wars, accidents, natural disasters, etc., or had been corroded, or abandoned, or yet were at different stages of building or rebuilding. A large chapter within the collection is made with images of flowers, classified by colors. The archive is organized in thematic folders with divisions and subdivisions named.

The collection is exhibited in glass cases and made available for public consultation in a library or archive environment. The content is mapped in a structure or thematic list that serves as visual guide for the overall files. Visitors are encouraged to handle folders and contribute clippings to the collection, thus causing the character to be interpreted by different people, depending on the work’s circulation. Usually, while the collection is on display in libraries, someone in charge of the newspaper / journal section takes over as collector. Since the acquisition of O Colecionador by Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo in 2014, the character has been kept “alive” by the museum staff that continues to build up the collection.

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[1996] INSTALLATION: twelve cardboard boxes [each measuring 47x34x6,5 cm] with newspaper clippings in polystyrene envelopes, and stamped/ sorted paper folders; map of the collection and quotations in vinyl lettering on the wall. Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo Collection.