Abstract

Brazilian artist Rosângela Rennó refuses to take “new” photographs, preferring instead to rework existing images. Her use of appropriation and her attitude toward this method are remarkably similar to international postmodern appropriation practices. However, Rennó reached a parallel position to these North American precedents through her exposure to different theories and influences. Due to Brazil’s late modernization and the years of repression, the postmodern theories that were being discussed internationally arrived in Brazil much later than other countries like Australia and the United States. During the years of repression, German artist and theorist Andreas Müller-Pohle made substantial contributions to Brazilian art debates. In contact with international trends, he contributed to fledgling postmodern ideas in Brazil. This article examines how the theory of an “Ecology of Information” by Müller-Pohle has influenced Rennó’s renouncement of the act of photography to create artworks with appropriated images.