Christina Oiticica talks to the Brazilian magazine CARAS about When the Sky Invades the Earth, an exhibition bringing together 60 of her works in Italy. Curated by Adelina von Fürstenberg — winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale — the show celebrates 30 years of ART for The World and unites spirituality, nature and transformation.

At the heart of her practice is a radical choice: instead of keeping full control over her creations, Christina lets the elements take part. Earth, water, fire, air, light, time and even microorganisms act on her works, turning chance into part of the process. One painting, Mama Muxima, spent three months submerged in Lake Maggiore, exposed to waves and storms. “I completely lose control of the work,” she reveals. “When the sky invades the earth, the heart of men is transformed.”

Based in Geneva, the artist keeps Brazil present throughout her work — from illustrations for Paulo Coelho’s Fathers, Sons and Grandsons to butterfly paintings made with the Pataxó artist Txa-txu and buried in Brazilian soil beneath a sacred gameleira tree before returning to the art circuit. “These are the visible images, but there is a Brazilian heart behind them,” she says. Above all, she hopes visitors leave with one feeling: “I hope that feeling is love, because only then will there be transformation.”

Exhibition: When the Sky Invades the Earth · Language: Portuguese