The Myths of Hélio Oiticica

This essay considers the work and legacy of the Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica, widely considered one of the most important Latin American artists of the twentieth century. Rather than describing Oiticica’s emblematic stature in the field, the essay explores the myths by which this role was achieved. These include myths that flourished around Oiticica’s work as well as the artist’s sustained engagement with the philosophical category of myth as such. Ultimately, the essay argues that Oiticica’s mobilization of a dynamic of myth and demythification - in turn part of what he would call his broader “program-in-progress” - is fundamental to constructing a radical historiography of Latin American art.