Tropicália was Hélio Oiticica’s first immersive installation, and gave its name to the Tropicalismo movement of art, music and theatre. With his work, Oiticica aimed to consolidate a Brazilian avant-garde, fusing fine art with the popular culture of the streets to promote artistic and personal freedom. Under an increasingly repressive political regime, which saw these concerns as contrary to the official cultural programme, many of the proponents of Tropicalismo, including Oiticica, fled Brazil to escape persecution.
