Originally inspired by the set design for Tempo de Verão, a 2004 performance by Marcia Milhazes Companhia de Dança, Beatriz Milhazes’s Gamboa mobile has since transformed into several distinct spatial concepts that adapt according to the specifications of the venues in which they are shown. 

The design for Tempo de Verão, 2004, was conceived as a chandelier that floated from the ceiling. It was not a singular piece itself but existed only in relation to the stage and performance. Its intensity was concentrated at the bottom, which was composed of a rich mix of exuberant elements held by strings, illuminating the dance scene below. In Gamboa, these elaborated elements climb up the strings and occupy different points along the work, organizing the balance between weight and volume. The idea of a complete sculpture, of a piece on its own, is born.

Henri Matisse, Tarsila do Amaral, and Piet Mondrian, as well as the Rio de Janeiro Carnival parade, which was created by Carnival designers like Fernando Pinto in the 1980s, have been strong references in Beatriz Milhazes’s work since very early in the development of her visual language. Each Gamboa installment is executed by artisans of samba schools in Rio, made after the artist’s drawings and based on Carnival ornaments and motifs. Gamboa (2008), Gamboa I (2013), and Gamboa II (2013/2015) were led by Sergio Farias and Glauce Milhazes with members of the samba school Imperatriz Leopondinense, while Gamboa III (2020) was made by artisans of Grande Rio Samba School (Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba Acadêmicos do Grande Rio) under the supervision of Carnival designers Leonardo Bora and Gabriel Haddad following the artist’s proposal. The rich mixture of new materials and recycled elements from past Carnival parades and celebrations incorporates not just the material but also the energy and spirit of Rio’s rich culture and traditions. 

With its performances, Marcia Milhazes Companhia de Dança has participated in a continuous dialogue with various iterations of the work over time, including the most recent installation of Gamboa III at Pace Gallery. By engaging with the visual arts environment, these choreographies constitute a happening—the creation of an infinite, harmonious cycle. 

Different versions were conceived accordingly to each venue’s specificities:

Gamboa – presented in two diferente versions: at Prospect 1 – US Biennal, New Orleans (2008); and in Fondation Beyeler, Basel (2010).
 
Gamboa I – developed in a unique version, to the exhibition Meu Bem, at Paço Imperial, Rio de Janeiro (2013)
 
Gamboa II – there were three different versions, distinctly between them specially in relation to the height, shown in Jewish Museum, NY (2016); White Cube Gallery, London (2018); e Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro (2019).

Gamboa III – developed for the retrospective exhibition Beatriz Milhazes: Avenida Paulista, at MASP and Itaú Cultural (2020) and presented at the exhibition Beatriz Milhazes: Mistura Sagrada, Pace Gallery NY.