Solo exhibition “Voile/Toile – Toile/Voile (Sail/Canvas – Canvas/Sail)”, by Daniel Buren

O Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio) will host the first Brazilian edition in January 2026. Voile/Toile – Toile/Voile (Sail/Canvas – Candle/Candle), a seminal project by the artist Daniel Buren (1938, Boulogne-Billancourt), carried out in partnership with Nara Roesler GalleryInitiated in 1975, the work transforms boat sails into art supports, shifting the viewer's gaze and activating the surrounding space through movement, color, and form. Over five decades, the project has been presented in cities such as Geneva, Lucerne, Miami, and Minneapolis, always in direct dialogue with the local landscape and context.

Originally conceived in Berlin in 1975, Voile/Toile – Toile/Voile highlights the use of vertical stripes, which Daniel Buren defines as his "visual tool." The work's title itself makes explicit the shift proposed by the artist in articulating two central fields of 20th-century modernism—abstract painting and the readymade—transforming boat sails into paintings and expanding the work's scope beyond the exhibition space.

“This is a work done outdoors and relies on external and unpredictable factors, such as weather, wind, visibility, and the positioning of sails and boats, so that, even though it has been performed dozens of times, it is never identical, just like a play or a dramatic act,” said Daniel Buren, in a conversation with Pavel Pyś, curator of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, published by the museum in 2018.

On January 24th, the event begins with a regatta-performance in Guanabara Bay. Eleven Optimist class sailboats will depart from Marina da Glória and sail to Flamengo Beach, equipped with sails incorporating the white and colored vertical stripes created by Buren. In motion, the sails transform into living artistic interventions, activating the maritime space and the Rio de Janeiro landscape as a constitutive part of the artwork. The public will be able to watch the event from the shore, and the entire performance will be recorded.

After the regatta concludes, the sails will be moved to the foyer of the MAM Rio (Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro), where they will become part of the exhibition derived from the regatta, on display from January 28th to April 12th, 2026. Installed in self-supporting structures, the eleven sails – 2,68 m high (2,98 m with the base) – will be arranged in the space according to the order of arrival of the regatta, following the protocol established by Buren since the first editions of the project. This procedure preserves the direct link between the performance and the exhibition, and highlights the transformation of the sails from utilitarian objects into artistic objects. The exhibition design is by architect Sol Camacho.

“Since the 1960s, Buren has developed a critical reflection on space and institutions, being one of the pioneers of situ art and conceptual art. Although Voile/Toile – Toile/Voile has circulated in several countries over the last 50 years, this is the first time the work has been presented in Brazil. The proximity of MAM Rio to Guanabara Bay, its history of experimentation, and its architecture integrated into the surroundings make the museum a particularly privileged space for the artist's work,” comments Yole Mendonça, executive director of MAM Rio.

By extending an experience begun at sea into the museum, Voile/Toile – Toile/Voile establishes a continuity between the action in Guanabara Bay and its presentation in the exhibition space of MAM Rio, integrating landscape, architecture, and journey into a single artistic experience.

“The way Buren explores the relationship between art and specific spaces, especially public spaces, is fundamental to understanding the history of contemporary art. And this piece, Voile/Toile – Toile/Voile, which begins in Guanabara Bay and extends into the museum's interior spaces, is a perfect example of this practice,” comments Pablo Lafuente, artistic director of MAM Rio.

Continuing the project, Nara Roesler Books will publish an edition dedicated to Daniel Buren's presence in Brazil, bringing together critical essays and documents from the realization of Voile/Toile – Toile/Voile in Rio de Janeiro in 2026.

Service
Exhibition | Voile/Toile – Toile/Voile (Candle/Canvas – Canvas/Candle)
From January 28th to April 12th
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 10am to 18pm