Galeria Karla Osorio

The Gallery Karla Osorio proudly presents the young Afro-Brazilian artist: MATHEUS MARQUES ABU, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1997. Matheus Abu’s artistic practices are deeply rooted in Afro-diasporic issues, showcasing original and unique works through paintings and three-dimensional pieces. In Matheus Abu’s artistic realm, much revolves around the memory of the transatlantic journeys undertaken during the early stages of colonization in Brazil. He views these objects as extensions of his own body, placing them as central figures in his works. Through this approach, the elements themselves are granted the agency to narrate their own histories, fostering connections with the past and offering new avenues for interpretation in the future. Abu’s manipulation and relocation of images create an affectionate and nostalgic narrative. His paintings disrupt the conventional relationship between the body and the sea, evoking sensations that allow viewers to establish a timeless connection with the surrounding space. His depictions of diving with birds are so intricately crafted that one can almost feel the sensation of flight. This solo exhibition at the SPARK Art Fair 2024 facilitates a powerful dialogue, enriching the understanding of the distant South through the lens of art. By delving into themes of identity, memory, and history, Matheus Abu’s work invites viewers to explore the complexities of the Afro-Brazilian experience and its enduring impact on contemporary society.

A self-taught artist, he develops independent research on ancestry, spirituality and the African diaspora in Brazil, putting colonial history and its reverberations in the daily lives of racialized people into perspective. He started his work with the Pixo language (graffiti), having a strong influence from the Rio de Janeiro rap scene. The painting appears during the pandemic period and, on a trip to Salvador, he discovered another set of symbols, the adinkra. Brought to Brazil by the enslaved, these ideograms were carved above all on the gates and windows of imperial Brazil by enslaved black blacksmiths, composing a sophisticated form of communication and resistance to subalternality. To rescue this language through his works is at the same time to challenge dominant visibility regimes and the canon of Eurocentric history (including art history), bringing to light an alternative history invisible to the eyes of the colonial mind. In 2021, he participated in an artistic residency and had a solo show at Galeria Karla Osorio, in Brasília. He was on an artistic residency in Milan followed by a solo show from october 2022-february 2023. He had artistic residence in Austria – A.I.R Krems (January. 2023) and in Switzerland – One Gee in Fog, Geneve (may-june 2023). He participed in several institutional shows such as DOS BRASIS (Sesc Belenzinho) and FUNK, Museu de Arte do Rio .He will have severaL institutional shows 2024 in Brazil and abroad. His works were presented in numerous art fairs in Brazil (ArPa, ARTSAMPA, SPArte, ARTRio, Art Genova – Italia, Abu Dhabi Art, Emirates). Some important museums have his works in Brazil such as MAR- Museum

Created in 2016, the Karla Osorio gallery works to insert contemporary artists in the market and institutional scene. It favors the most innovative art production, with a program of temporary exhibitions that encourages various languages and techniques. Represents Brazilian and foreign artists. It participates in art fairs in several countries, being the only gallery in Brasilia in some of the best fairs in the world in cities such as Basel, Chicago, Mexico City, Miami, New Delhi, New York, Punta (Uruguay), as well as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo , between others. It supports innovative research and projects, has a program of courses, lectures, partnerships with other spaces and institutions, as well as interventions in the public space. It develops projects with visiting curators and offers an artistic residency with a studio, in a privileged space. It also operates in the secondary market. In addition to the headquarters in Brasília with ample exhibition space in Lago Sul, it has an office in São Paulo.