Vanderlei Lopes

A tree trunk cast in bronze holds, at its top, a miniature empty amphitheater. The work brings together the slow rhythm of nature, recorded in the tree's growth rings, and the time of social life, represented by the arena, a historic space for gathering and performance. Installed on a floor that seems warped by the action of roots, the sculpture suggests the coexistence of the natural world and culture, turning the trunk into a kind of monument to the many layers of time that make up human experience. The empty theater alludes to the social stage on which collective events unfold, and the act of drawing near is part of the work itself.