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OSGEMEOS

Portal

Sep 10–Nov 7, 2020

Detail of painting by OSGEMEOS

Lehmann Maupin is pleased to announce Portal, Brazilian artists OSGEMEOS’ second solo exhibition with the gallery in New York. Twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo will present a new body of paintings that delve further into their fantasy/dream world by exploring themes related to mysticism and science fiction. Utilizing repeated geometric motifs reminiscent of temple architecture and abstract patterns similar to those in Op Art, this exhibition will offer a heightened, multi-sensory experience that embraces the power of human imagination and the vast possibilities inherent in visually interpreting the subconscious.

OSGEMEOS began their careers during the 1980s as graffiti artists, making their mark on the streets of the São Paulo neighborhood of Cambuci. They have since become internationally known for their distinct figurative style that features long-limbed yellow characters with thin outlines, enlarged faces, and simplified features, as well as their use of vibrant colors and elaborate patterns. Initially influenced by the New York graffiti and hip hop movements of the 1980s and the ingenuity and resourcefulness evident in their working class neighborhood, OSGEMEOS decided to make public work that was accessible to all. Unlike the popular Brazilian art movements at the time―conceptual, minimalist, and concrete art―that spoke primarily to the elite, engaging in public art allowed the artists to contribute a sense of optimism in their community. In 1993, following a studio visit with the prominent San Francisco-based artist Barry McGee, the twins developed a rigorous studio practice and began creating smaller paintings and objects while continuing to produce large-scale murals that could reach a wider audience. This has allowed them to navigate all facets of the artworld, from the commercial, to the institutional, to the public. OSGEMEOS’ practice continues to be marked by a commitment to the accessibility of art and to exposing the complicated realities of the working class while simultaneously celebrating its resilience.

Installation view of OSGEMEOS at Lehmann Maupin New York
Installation Views: 1 of 5
Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

Mix Master Coconut, 2019

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

Close encounter of the third kind, 2019

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

The composer, 2019

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

On the lake inside the ocean, 2018

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

Looking for the perfect beat, 2019

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

The Garden, 2019

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

Boombox Walking, 2020

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

The pretty island, 2019

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

The sunset, 2019

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

Liquid room, 2019

Installation view of OSGEMEOS at Lehmann Maupin New York
Installation Views: 1 of 4
Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

Taking the dog for a walk, 2019

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

All Connected, 2020

Painting by OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS

I swear that I saw it, 2019

Portrait of OSGEMEOS

OSGEMEOS (b. 1974, São Paulo, Brazil; live and work in São Paulo, Brazil), translated as “the twins" in Portuguese, is a collaborative art duo comprised of twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo. As children, the brothers developed a distinct way of playing and communicating through artistic language, but it was with the invasion of hip-hop, and the explosion of Brazilian culture during the 1980s that OSGEMEOS began to use art as a way of sharing their dynamic and magical universe with the public. Combining traditional, folkloric, and contemporary elements of Brazilian culture with graffiti, hip-hop, music, dreams and international youth culture, the artists have created an expansive body of work that includes murals, paintings, sculpture, site-specific installations, and video. They use a symbolic visual language often inspired by their dreams that, as twins, they claim to share. In addition to the use of bright colors and elaborate patterns, they are best known for their paintings that feature long-limbed yellow-skinned figures with thin outlines, enlarged faces, and simplified features. The yellow skin color indicates a universal figure, rather than a direct reference to a specific race or culture, which reflects the highly diverse population of Brazil and the world. The use of doors, canvas and mirrors, both literal—painting directly on discarded doors and incorporating reflective surfaces into their works—and as motifs, signal access to another realm or an entry point to the psyche, pulling viewers into their surreal and chimerical world.

Solo exhibitions of OSGEMEOS’ work have been organized by The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C. (2024); Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil - Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2023); Centro de arte contemporáneo de Málaga (CAC Málaga), Málaga, Spain (2022); Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Curitiba, Brazil (2021); Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (2020); Storage by HyundaiCard, Seoul, South Korea (2020); Fosun Foundation, Shanghai, China (2020); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (2019); The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2018); Museu Casa do Pontal, Rio de Janeiro, (2015); Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA (2012); Berardo Collection Museum, Lisbon (2010); and Museum Het Domein, Sittard, Netherlands (2007).

Learn about the artist
Portal | Lehmann Maupin