Ernesto Neto (b. 1964) is a Brazilian artist who combines sculptural, spatial and multisensory elements in his practice. He explores relationships between materials, species and forces of nature.
He draws inspiration from art theories and worldviews emphasizing the idea of reciprocity between all things in existence. Neto’s practice is centred on his interest in multispecies bonding and the themes of care and healing.
Neto’s large spatial installations function as temples of meditation, healing and introspection. Rather than inviting passive observation, his temples are interactive and immersive, momentarily fusing the viewer’s body as a site and component of the artwork.
Photo: Pepe Schettino
Ernesto Neto: SaariBird, 2025. Helsinki Biennial 8.6.–21.9.2025, Vallisaari Island. Photo: HAM / Helsinki Biennial / Maija Toivanen
SaariBird, 2025
Artwork location: Vallisaari Island
Neto describes his artworks as animals and landscapes, or rather, ‘animal landscapes’. SaariBird is an example that is based on the same philosophy of deep empathic identification with the environment. The large-scale bird-shaped tent of hand-woven netting filled with glass objects and stones collected on-site is the artist’s tribute to the birds living on the island. Neto has been inspired by the rich Indigenous narratives of shapeshifting: powerful spirits shapeshift into animals, swallow hunters, and endow them with the beast’s powers of sight. These legends evince the belief that in order to see through the eyes of another, one must literally become the Other.
Upon entering the installation, visitors can imagine themselves being swallowed by a giant bird. Thus, the work is a site of empathy inviting visitors to devote a moment to seeing through the eyes of a bird.
Forming an important element of the installation are the whistles. They are essential to the artist’s view of the Earth being our body, with the act of breathing and the air entering and leaving our bodies being like the body of the Earth entering and leaving our bodies. The whistles are a metaphor and practice of this act of breathing.