Bete Marques Brasil, 1975

Bete Marques often incorporates into her artistic practice the use of everyday objects to create bold assemblies inspired by the visual plasticity of South American favelas, which promote an intense exploration of pigments and shapes.

Covered in light and colour and sometimes accompanied by small hand-ignited music boxes, her installations reflect the social reality of many of the cities in her home country. These monumental favelas materialize the artist's gaze on Brazilian social reality and popular culture, comprising the image of a living and material structure whose interpretation depends on the historical analysis of local and global urban development. In her installations, Bete Marques also explores broader issues, such as ecology, globalized migrations, socioeconomic structures, and identity.