Lygia Pape's work is characterized by social and cultural criticism, with touches of humor and irony. She made the box series: Caixa de formigas (1967) as a critique of consumerism, Caixas de Baratas (“Boxes of Cockroaches”) (1967) attacks the culture of ‘good taste’ and Caixa Brasil (“Brazil Box”) (1968) makes reference to the ethical and cultural fabric of the country: Indigenous, white and black.
She typically used everyday objects in her assemblages and installations, as a way to elaborate her ideas and concepts. In Eat Me: A gula ou a luxúria? (Eat me: Gluttony of Glory?) (1976), showcases calendars of naked women, aphrodisiac lotions, lipsticks and fake breasts are arranged as window displays, drawing attention to the dissemination of images of the female body as an object of consumption.
In 2002, she presented the installation Carandiru, which uses the image of the Tupinambá cloak to associate the massacre of prisoners in 1991 with the decimation of indigenous peoples.
