I, Bispo do Rosário

Arthur Bispo do Rosário (1909?-1989) spent fifty years compulsively making sculptural objects, assemblages and depictions showing everything he believed would be considered worth saving on the Day of Judgement. Hundreds of individual objects and dozens of ‘showcase’ assemblages emerged from the endless array of discarded materials he was given. Particularly remarkable are the textile works in which hospital linen, blankets and old uniforms fed the making of banners, ceremonial garments and ‘Miss World’ sashes upon which Bispo’s obsessive needlework produced a dense mixture of embroidered image and text. Some refer to his past life as a marine, a lightweight boxer and a naval signaller in the Brazilian Navy, or to his childhood experiences as the descendant of cane-farming slaves in the impoverished northeast of Brazil.

Designated part of Brazil’s National Heritage and held by the Museu Bispo do Rosário in Rio de Janeiro, Bispo’s treasury of 802 works has been described as ‘part Surrealist, part magic realist and part Conceptual.’ Oriel Mostyn has been given unique and privileged access to the works and will show over two hundred pieces, including his major works.

Supported by The Arts Council of Wales, the Henry Moore Foundation and Wales Arts International. Gallery closed 25 & 26 December, 1 January.