A new exhibition of works by Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica will open at Dia Beacon on December 5, 2025, and remain on view until November 2026. The show highlights Oiticica’s shift from two-dimensional painting to three-dimensional installations during the years 1958 to 1966.
“Dia has long been devoted to artists who interrogate the relationships between material, space, and perception. Oiticica’s practice brings a vital perspective from Latin America, illustrating how these shared concerns manifested globally and shaped new forms of abstraction,” said Jessica Morgan, Dia’s Nathalie de Gunzburg Director.
Oiticica was known for his work in sculpture, drawing, painting, installation, and performance. His approach played a significant role in participatory art and brought sociopolitical themes into abstract art. As part of Brazil’s Neoconcrete and Tropicália movements, he focused on spatial awareness and interaction with viewers.
The exhibition starts with two paintings from his Metaesquemas series (1957–59) and continues with two Relevos Espaciais pieces (1959). These works mark Oiticica’s move from monochromatic grids to colorful three-dimensional objects that extend into the gallery space.
At the center of the presentation is Grande Núcleo (Grand Nucleus), created between 1960 and 1966. This large-scale installation features rectangular panels painted in colors ranging from yellow to orange. The arrangement encourages visitors to engage physically with the work as their movement becomes part of its experience.
The selection aims to show how Oiticica explored color, space, and form—moving from geometric abstraction toward interactive environments.
“Hélio Oiticica foregrounded many important aspects of contemporary art, including the subjective experience of the body within varying environments and the role of social context. This exhibition focuses on Oiticica’s formative years (1958–66), a period in which his artistic investigations evolved from the flat picture plane to volumetric works, culminating in spatial experiences contingent on the viewer’s movement. The show furthers Dia’s mission to offer publics expanded geographical perspectives on key figures whose practices from the 1960s and ’70s generate dynamic dialogues with our history,” said Humberto Moro, Dia’s deputy director of program.
The exhibition is curated by Humberto Moro with Ella den Elzen as curatorial assistant. It is supported by GRoW @ Annenberg, Susan and Larry Marx, Donna and Jim Pohlad, Lisson Gallery, and funded through Dia’s Economou Exhibition Fund.
Hélio Oiticica was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1937. He joined Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro in 1954 before becoming involved with Grupo Frente—a group focusing on geometric abstraction—and later contributed to founding Brazil’s Neoconcrete movement which emphasized sensory engagement with art. Over time he expanded his practice beyond painting into writing as well as participatory forms like sculpture and immersive installations. His first retrospective took place at Whitechapel Gallery in London in 1969; posthumous retrospectives have been held at institutions such as Kunstinstituut Melly (formerly Witte de With) in Rotterdam; Museum of Fine Arts Houston; Tate Modern; and Whitney Museum of American Art.
Founded in 1974, Dia Art Foundation supports artists’ projects without imposing strict interpretation or limitations typical of traditional museums or galleries. In addition to sites like Dia Beacon itself—which hosts exhibitions such as this one—the foundation operates locations including Dia Bridgehampton and Dia Chelsea while maintaining permanent installations across various locations nationally and internationally.
