Amaro Abreu, a gaucho at the Moscow Street Art Biennale
[ad_1]
Graffiti artist and author of five individual exhibitions composed of works in watercolor and India ink, the gaúcho Amaro Abreu is the only Brazilian among 48 visual artists participating in the IV Artmosphere Biennale. The event, which takes place from May 15th to July 31st, in the city of Moscow (Russia)is one of the main international exhibitions of contemporary art.
The urban artist – based in São Paulo – will leave a permanent mark on the Russian capital: he will paint the facade of a building close to the Red Square, known for large military parades during the Soviet Union era. Separating the royal citadel (Kremlin) from the historic district of Kitay-gorod, Moscow’s central square will host this street art biennale in 2023, which will present works by Russian and foreign artists, based on the theme Community: Partnership – Collectivity – Utopia.
“Among the judges for this edition are members of great museums, including the Modern Art Museum from New York”, comments Abreu, who is preparing to participate in his second biennial. The first was in 2018, in Cairo (Egypt). “There will be representatives of important galleries, curators from New York, Paris, among other international capitals. . It will be a possibility to have access to different people from the world of art, expand creativity, and open doors to other opportunities in the future”, evaluates the artist from Rio Grande do Sul. , and create exchanges with other artists.”
Abreu also held an artistic residency with Conexus Project, in 2018, when he traveled through Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and India. “It was on that occasion, that I participated in the Cairo Biennale and painted in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp”, recalls the graffiti artist. About the project entered for the IV Artmosphere Biennale, he adds that his panel will have a flight of birds as a symbol of freedom and hope. “It may sound cliché, but birds also represent solidarity and peace, and this all has to do with the themes of my other creations”, adds the artist, who usually externalizes a parallel universe, where beings from “another planet” live in harmony with the nature.
“My work is closely related to the creation of a new biodiversity, where I paint species of plants, beings and animals that do not exist in our reality, and that give the idea of a place unknown to humans”, summarizes Abreu. “In my view, the evolution of technology has distorted us too much, and, in the end, this ends up being super harmful for us and for the ecosystem.”
The utopia of peaceful coexistence between species, a recurring theme in Amaro Abreu’s street art since the mid-2000s, gained strength during his career. Graduated in Visual Arts at Ulbra, he says that his artistic influences are “many”, but highlights cinematographic works, such as the French feature film The Green Planet (La Belle Verte, 1996). “When I watched it, I was already in the process of envisioning a world that evolves towards a more natural side, and then the script for this film hit me hard.”
With a unique trait, Abreu usually uses water-based and spray paints to create his colorful works, which mark buildings and walls, but also canvases. In Moscow, he will have the help of a painting assistant, in addition to a video and photo team, who will record his work on the mural that he will leave in the chosen building, a three-story structure.
Currently, the artist spends time in Porto Alegre, his hometown and where he painted the façade of the Free Agency for Citizenship and Education (Alice House). He is currently participating in the project Periphery Expressionson Peacock Island.
[ad_2]
Source link
