On June 29, in its Galpão in Barra Funda, Galeria Fortes Vilaça is opening the show A ópera da lua [The Opera of the Moon] by the artists OSGEMEOS. The artists present new works, in an immersive environment, where their narrative world takes on a new dimension.
Throughout their artistic career, OSGEMEOS have resorted to a variety of techniques and supports either concurrently or alternately, ranging from drawing to graffiti and mural paintings, from painting to kinetic images, sculptures and installations. Their work has a fantastic nature, like a kaleidoscope where images from different origins, with surreal elements, are overlaid and reflected on a multicolored palette.
The show A ópera da lua features about thirty paintings, three sculptures, a musical installation and a 3-D video installation. The works on display include Fermata, a musical sculpture, a blend of a train car and an orchestra, originally created for the Museu da Vale, in Vitória (ES). It will be shown alongside the largest sculpture ever made by the artists, a secret project that will only be revealed on the show’s opening day.
The duo’s immediately recognizable style is characterized by their singular characters, who inhabit an oneiric world in counterpoint with the city that serves as their support and inspiration. In narratives that can be poetic, ironic or critical, the artists combine many details in a meticulous construction of images.
Excessiveness is a fundamental element in the transcendence from the real to the imaginary. In this aspect the work of OSGEMEOS is related with that of other artists like Yayoi Kusama, for her obsessive use of patterns, and Takashi Murakami for his emphasis in the detailing of the characters. Their kinetic sculptures, as full of details as their paintings, recall Tinguely’s experiments and nonsense machines. Their large panels and murals echo the Mexican muralists with their vibrant colors and characters from popular culture.
The migration of the OSGEMEOS’s work to museums and galleries has allowed the artists to add light, sound and movement to their artworks. It was at Galeria Fortes Vilaça, in 2006, that the duo presented their first solo show in São Paulo. At this third exhibition, the artists give a special focus on sculpture, bringing their experience with paintings into the third dimension. In this show the artworks are connected by doors and windows, constructing a large immersive environment. The paintings take unexpected shapes and dimensions; explore new contexts for the characters, new stories, textures and patterns in profusion.
The internationally renowned artists originally from São Paulo have participated in various important exhibitions and have shown at prestigious venues that most notably include: ICA – The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, USA (2012); Fermata, Museu Vale, Espírito Santo, Brazil (2011); Museu Colecção Berardo, Lisbon, Portugal (2010); When Lives Become Form: Creative Power from Brazil, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan (2009); Vertigem, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro; and Vertigem, Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Curitiba, Brasil (2008). They have produced outstanding special projects including Wholetrain, São Luís do Maranhão, Brazil (2012) and Street Art, Tate Modern, London, UK (2008). Their works figure in important collections such as those of the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan; the Franks-Suss Collection, London, UK, and others.
Exhibition Details – A ópera da lua – OSGEMEOS
Galpão Fortes Vilaça – Rua James Holland, nº71 – (Barra Funda), São Paulo, Brazil
Opening: June 29, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Begins: July 1 (Tuesday)
Ends: August 16 (Saturday)
Opening hours, Galpão Fortes Vilaça:
Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
