Exhibition “With the Naked Eye”, by Vik Muniz

With the Naked Eye, the largest retrospective exhibition ever held by the prestigious Brazilian artist Vik Muniz arrives at Museum of Contemporary Art of Bahia (MAC_Bahia).

Over 200 works distributed in 37 series"Naked Eye" brings together fundamental works from different phases of Vik Muniz's career, internationally recognized for his ability to transform everyday materials into images of strong visual and symbolic impact. Chocolate, sugar, dust, garbage, magazine fragments, and wire are some of the elements that make up his artistic vocabulary and bring his production closer to both pop art and everyday life. The public will be able to follow his work from his first sculptural experiments to works that mark the consolidation of photography as the central axis of his creation.

Among the highlights, the exhibition features four pieces never before seen at MAC_Bahia, which were not part of the Recife leg: Cheese, Skates, Golden Nest, and Souvenir No. 18. The show also presents works never before exhibited in Brazil, such as Oklahoma, Boy 2, and Neurons 2, previously seen only in the United States.

The retrospective occupies the MAC_Bahia and expands to two other spaces in the city: the artist's studio in Santo Antônio Além do Carmo, which will host meetings and special visits, and the Galeria Lugar Comum, in the São Joaquim Fair, where a new installation inspired by the work Nail Fetish will be exhibited. This is the first time Vik Muniz has presented a work at this location, reinforcing the dialogue between his production and popular territories of Salvador.

Exhibition "Naked Eye," by Vik Muniz, at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo: Vik Muniz
Considered fundamental to understanding the artist's transition from object to photography, the Relicário series (1989–2025) greets visitors right at the entrance of MAC_Bahia. Not exhibited since 2014, it presents three-dimensional sculptures that help to understand Muniz's conceptual shift, when the artist realized he could construct scenes designed exclusively to be photographed, a movement that redefined his international career.

For curator Daniel Rangel, who is also the director of MAC_Bahia, the arrival of A Olho Nu has special significance. "This is the first major retrospective dedicated to the work of Vik Muniz, with a selection designed to create a dialogue between his works and the culture of the region," he states.

The arrival of the retrospective in Salvador also strengthens the partnership between IPAC and the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center (CCBB), responsible for organizing the exhibition and in an advanced stage of establishing its unit in the Palácio da Aclamação, a historic building managed by the Institute. Even before officially opening its doors in Bahia, CCBB Salvador has already been promoting cultural activities in the capital, including the presentation of the largest exhibition dedicated to the artist.

To host "A Olho Nu" (Naked Eye), IPAC and MAC_Bahia are mobilizing a complete structure that includes maintenance, security, cleaning, museum lighting, and operational logistics, in addition to the work of the mediation team and educational activities aimed at schools, universities, cultural groups, and visitors in general. The expectation is that the museum will receive approximately 400 people per day during the exhibition period, consolidating MAC_Bahia as one of the main venues for the circulation of contemporary art in the Northeast. It is no coincidence that the Museum is listed among the best institutions of 2025 by Revista Continente.

With free admission and ongoing educational programming, "A Olho Nu" is expected to significantly impact Salvador's cultural calendar in the coming months. The exhibition offers the public the opportunity to immerse themselves in the work of one of Brazil's most celebrated contemporary artists and to experience different stages of his creative process, reaffirming MAC_Bahia as a benchmark in promoting major national and international exhibitions.

Service
Exhibition | With the Naked Eye
From December 13th to March 29th
Tuesday to Sunday, from 10pm to 20pm