Angelica (from Aftermath), 1999
Type C Print
40 x 32 in.
Edition 2/5
February 19, 2024
This intriguing work is a key example of Vik Muniz’s career-long interest in recreating iconic art and imagery using the stuff of everyday life. Muniz was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and came to photography via a unique route—originally working in sculpture, he became increasingly captivated by the photographic documentation of his works, to the point where he began to make assemblages in service to a final photographic piece.
Works from the Aftermath series are particularly layered examples of Muniz’s process. The “aftermath” in question is the festive debris left by street sweepings in the wake of Carnivale in Rio. Muniz began this series by collaborating with local street children who posed for photographs that emulate art historical images. He used the resulting photographs for renderings like this one, created by arranging the street detritus on a lightbox and fixing the result with his camera. The final image has a celestial appearance, reminding us that just as we are all made of stardust, legendary parts of the cultural imagination are also tied indelibly to the most unassuming parts of our world.
