(Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 1920 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1988)

Lygia Clark’s artistic practice evolved from geometric abstraction to a radical rethinking of the boundaries between art, the body, and healing. Deeply influenced by her training in both Brazil and Europe, she initially aligned with the Concrete and Neo-Concrete movements, sharing modernism’s formal concerns while progressively shifting toward a more sensorial and participatory language.

From the late 1950s onward, Clark distanced herself from the purely visual, developing interactive objects such as her renowned Bichos (Critters). These articulated sculptures invited manipulation, challenging the autonomy of the artwork and initiating new dynamics between object and viewer.

As her practice deepened, Clark introduced the concept of the “relational object,” expanding her work into therapeutic and psychoanalytic territory. These pieces, often used in exercises of body awareness and emotional expression, dissolved the line between artist and participant, proposing art as a site for transformation and healing.

For Clark, art was inseparable from life. She rejected the notion of the artwork as a static entity, favoring instead immersive, tactile experiences that made the viewer an active co-creator. Her legacy is foundational to contemporary discourses on participatory art and performance, particularly in Latin America.

She lived and worked primarily in Rio de Janeiro, where her influence continues to resonate in experimental and relational practices.