Curated by Paulo Miyada, the exhibition presents around one hundred works—including paintings, objects, and installations—created between 1966 and 2023, encompassing all phases of the artist’s career: his activism against the 1964 civil-military dictatorship, which led to his imprisonment; his doctoral thesis, titled The Quarrel of Brazil – The Question of Brazilian Art Identity, written in exile; his return to Brazil, when he began teaching; and his experimentation with form and geometry, abstraction and subjectivity.

As Miyada told Itaú Cultural, it is “a life story with many lives.” Zilio studied painting with Iberê Camargo in the early 1960s, a period during which he participated in landmark exhibitions such as Opinião 66 and Nova Objetividade Brasileira. In 1975, after creating politically charged works aimed at raising awareness and promoting social agitation—and after becoming involved with the armed resistance—he was imprisoned. With limited resources, he produced drawings while incarcerated. Shortly after being released, he went into exile. Upon returning to Brazil, he also devoted himself to teaching.¹

¹Promotional text: Itaú Cultural