Guilherme Vaz was born in Araguari, Brazil, in 1948 and passed away in April 2018 while residing in Rio de Janeiro. He was a pioneering figure in the realm of sound art, graduating from the Universidade Nacional de Brasília between 1960 and 1964 alongside notable contemporaries such as Rogério Duprat, Décio Pignatari, Nise Obino, Cláudio Santoro, Damiano Cozzela, Régis Duprat, and Hugo Mund Junior. He furthered his education at the Universidade Federal da Bahia from 1964 to 1966, where he studied with Walter Smetak and Ernst Wiedmer.
In 1968, Vaz co-founded the Experimental Unit at the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro with Frederico Morais, Cildo Meireles, and Luiz Alphonsus, a venture that lasted until 1970. His international experience included participation in the Feedback Studio in Cologne, Germany, in 1973. He also served as the president of the Fundação Cultural de Ji-Paraná, located on the border with Bolivia, where he engaged in anthropological work, visual art, and explored prehistoric music with the indigenous Zoró-Panganjej, Gaviao-Ykolem, and Araras communities of South America.
Vaz was known for producing musical instruments and paintings that incorporated indigenous techniques, notably transferring corporal geometric designs onto large raw cotton canvases created by indigenous artisans. As a multimedia and experimental artist, he created several significant sound works, including "Walk to Anywhere" (1970), "Desapropriação de Manhattan" (1970), "Open your Door as Slow as you Can" (1970), "Solos Ardentes" (1970), "Crude" (1973), and "Ensaio sobre a Dádiva, d'apres Marcel Mauss" (2008).
His contributions have been featured in prominent group exhibitions, such as "Uma Fração do Infinito" at CCBB in Rio de Janeiro (2016) and Sesc Pompéia in São Paulo (2017), "Equatorial Rhythms" at The Sternesen Museum in Oslo (2008), "Hélio Oitica e seu Tempo" at the Centro de Arte Hélio Oiticica in Rio de Janeiro (2006), the VIII Biennale de Paris at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (1973), "Agnus Dei" at the Petite Galerie in Rio de Janeiro (1970), and "Information" at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York (1970), among many others.
In addition to his visual art, Vaz released several recordings through OM Records, including "O Vento sem Mestre" (2007), "Sinfonia dos Ares" (2007), "La Virgen" (2006), "Deuses Desconhecidos" (2006), "Anjo sobre o Verde" (2006), "A Tempestade, El Arte, Povos dos Ares, Der Heiligue Spruch" (2005), "A Noite Original - Die SchopfungsNacht [Die Winde über der Meer am Anfang der Welt]" (2004), "Sinfonia do Fogo" (2004), and "O Homem Correndo na Savana" (2003), all of which were presented at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói (MAC). He also published "Sinfonia das Águas" (2001), a book that explores and compiles some of the most profound and archaic sound conjunctions from the heart of South America.
Vaz's work emphasized the deep-rooted sound traditions of indigenous populations, which he captured through extensive travels. He integrated these sound conjunctions into contemporary art, utilizing over 75 different sound sources. His art book is designed as a textbook, complete with images and techniques, allowing any symphonic orchestra worldwide to execute the works with precision while merging archaic and classical visualities from South America.
Notably, he received the First Prize for Best Soundtrack at the Festival de Brasília do Cinema Brasileiro for "Fome de Amor," directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos, recognized as the first Brazilian film to incorporate concrete and experimental music (1968). Other notable soundtracks include those for "A Rainha Diaba" by Antonio Carlos Fontoura (1975), "O Anjo Nasceu" (1969), "Filme de Amor" (2006), and "Cleopatra" by Julio Bressane (2007). In 2009, the film "Erva do Rato," also directed by Julio Bressane, premiered at the Venice Festival, receiving critical acclaim for its soundtrack.
