Brazilian, b. 1943
Para um tempo de guerra (For a Time of War)
1987
Portuguese stones, bread, and text by Cesar Vellejo in Vinyl
Courtesy the artist and Galeria Jaqueline Martins, Sao Paulo
Regina Vater created Para um tempo de guerra while living in the United Stated during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The installation is comporised of the mosaic-like stones that pave pedestrian streets in Portugal and its former colonies such as Brazil, and Brazilian-style French rolls, an inexpensive and popular food staple. The mandala shape, a widely recognized symbol of peace, responded to the escalation of the Cold War and Reagan’s massive buildup of military troops and weapons. The poem by Peruvian writer Cesar Vellejo speaks to a collective desire for empathy and social justice
And in this cold hour, when the earth
Transcends human just and is so sad,
I would like to touch all the doors.
And plead to I do not know whom, sorry,
And make him pieces of fresh bread
Here, in the oven of my heart….!