Hasta La Ideas

To get around Brazil’s convoluted customs procedures and expensive tax laws that govern importing and exporting art, Brazilian collective Autista and British gallery KK Outlet turned to the fax machine to transport art across oceans for a new show called “Ex-Fax Machina.”

At last Thursday’s opening Brazilian artists Ramon Martins, Eduardo Recife, Elisa Sassi and Carlos Dias made drawings and faxed them to London’s KK Outlet Gallery, while U.K.-based artists Andrew Clark, Billie Jean, Mcbess and Jimmy Turrell faxed their completed drawings to Gallery Pop in São Paulo. Flaunting Brazil’s 50% tax on any cultural item sent or received (the strict rules have prevented both NYC’s Met and MoMA from lending pieces in the past), the pieces now hang on both galleries’ walls through 26 March 2010.

To further demonstrate their point, KK Outlet installed a fax machine dedicated to receiving faxes from all over the world. Select faxes will be included in the show and they’ll accept them (at +44 (0) 207 739 0396) through the end of the show.<

Artists’ faxes sell for about $45 in England and $28 in Brazil.

Faxes by the public will also be for sale for $15, which will be donated to non-profit group Viva Rio.