Abraham Palatnik

Abraham Palatnik was a Brazilian artist and inventor who was considered a pioneer of technological art in Brazil. He was born in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, in 1928, and moved with his family to Mandatory Palestine (now Israel) in 1932. He studied mechanics, physics and drawing in Tel Aviv, and returned to Brazil in 1948. He was influenced by his friendship with the art critic Mario Pedrosa and by his visits to the psychiatric center where Nise da Silveira used art as therapy. He experimented with electromechanical systems and light, and created his first kinechromatic apparatus in 1949, which was a machine that projected colored shapes on a screen. He exhibited his works at the First São Paulo Biennial in 1951, where he received a special mention from the jury. He also created paintings, sculptures, drawings and objects that explored the possibilities of movement, color and form. He collaborated with several publications and institutions, and received many awards and honors. He died in Rio de Janeiro in 2020, at the age of 92, due to complications after a stroke. He left behind a legacy of innovation, creativity and originality that influenced generations of Brazilian and international artists.