Descala

Date2002-2003

Maker Cildo Meireles Brazilian, born 1948

Label TextMeireles came of age during the Brazilian dictatorship in the 1960s and ‘70s, and his work often addresses political oppression and resistance. In his Descala series, the artist uses the form of the ladder as a metaphor for infinite motion that can be continued in either direction—upward as an illusion of freedom or downward to implied entrapment. Here, the markings that compose the ladder are deconstructed and reconstructed in 16 different configurations, an exploration of the infinite possibilities of the seemingly simple form.

Object number2023.22.15

ProvenanceThe artist; [Galeria Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brazil]; purchased from gallery by Dennis Braddock and Janice Niemi, Seattle, Washington, 2003

Photo CreditPhoto: Scott Leen

Exhibition HistorySão Paulo, Brazil, Galeria Luisa Strina, Cildo Meireles: Descala, Oct. 7 - Nov. 14, 2003. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Material Presence, January 18 - July 14 2024.

Credit LineGift of Dennis Braddock in memory of Janice Niemi

DimensionsEach plate: 19 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. (50.2 x 50.2 cm)

MediumFerruginous drawing engraved chemically in carbon steel plate