Ayla Tavares

LAMB Gallery is pleased to present Earendel , a solo exhibition of new work by Ayla Tavares (b. 1990, Rio de Janeiro) and her first solo presentation in the UK....

LAMB Gallery is pleased to present “Whispers from the South”, a group exhibition in collaboration with Instituto Inclusartiz, curated by Lucas Albuquerque. The exhibition aims to explore how contemporary Brazilian artists rethink visual culture through a critical examination of their own history and confront the notion of subalternity.

“Whispers from the South”, presents a cross-section of contemporary Brazilian art production, bringing together eight artists from different regions of Brazil. The artists in the show all share a common dialogue that challenges the cultural complexity which moulds the country. Driven by their common desire of cultural identity investigation, the selected artists question the historical setbacks embedded in Brazilian history through the mediums of painting, drawing, photography, embroidery, and sculpture. Their poetic gestures poignantly illustrate how reverberations from the past influence the present and illuminate new challenges in South America.

Ayla Tavares’s practice (Rio de Janeiro) explores the intricate relationship between craftsmanship and the layers of time it evokes. By the use of clay and coal, Tavares investigates archaeological artefacts, architecture and objects we handle on a daily basis to think about memory and common life. In her drawing practice, she covers the entire canvas with patterns resembling land and sea, emphasising their archaeological connection with ceramics. Earthenware has been repeatedly discovered on archaeological expeditions throughout history; thus, the artist delves into the notion of ceramics as the “eternal object.”

Interested in the traces of colonisation in the Brazilian Amazon, Noara Quintana (Florianópolis) engages with the lingering influence of European decorative arts that were widely imported to the North of Brazil during the early 19th century. She reimagines these contradictions through a tropical Belle Époque, aiming to destabilise a colonial legacy through an affirmative and diverse portrayal of Amazonian botany. In her series “Serpentine Traces,” the artist subverts the wallpapers and ironwork made popular in the arts and crafts movement with a tropical imaginary, seeking narratives that call into question the connections between Britain and the Amazon at the end of the Victorian period.

Luisa Brandelli (Porto Alegre) also appreciates the influence of decorativeness in her work. However, her practice develops with a more abstract aesthetic. The artist frequently utilises commonplace materials such as fabric, cloth, yarn, sequins, and beads to craft substantial objects in a pictorial way. By employing sewing techniques often associated with the “feminine,” Brandelli challenges traditional gender roles in art production. She explores the dichotomy between “high” art and craftsmanship, and the distinction between valuable and ordinary materials.

Talles Lopes’ (Goiás) work focuses on the dynamics of subservience and exploitation from a geopolitical perspective. He employs infographics typically used in geographical surveys as tools to expose the nation’s history of exploitation. In his piece titled “Universal Language for Local Erasures,” the artist superimposes four different maps originally produced by the Brazilian geographic and statistical institution, IBGE, during the tenure of the 21st president, Juscelino Kubitschek (1956 - 1961). This map provides a window into the ongoing disparities resulting from political and economic developmentalism projects that continue to leave their mark on the country even today.

Hal Wildson (Goiás), also born in Brazil’s central-west region, advocates for a rebellious movement that reclaims national symbols, which the extreme right-wing has appropriated in recent years. This movement aims to envision a “Re-Utopya” project, emphasising the integration of ancestral knowledge and caring practices. In his latest series, the artist employs well-known books from the 1950s to 1980s that discuss utopia, Brazilian identity, and the nation’s development. Through this, he reconstructs new interpretations of the past, envisioning it as fertile ground for shaping a better future.

In northeastern Brazil, Pedro Neves (Maranhão) engages in a pictorial exploration where abstraction and figuration blend into a symbolic realm. In this sphere, the body, everyday objects, botanical life, and clothing immerse the viewer in the richness of Afro-Brazilian cultural practices. The presented painting is part of an ongoing series in which the artist paints his mother’s dreams. Untitled refers to a dream in which two women talk about her son (the artist). In the work, Neves tenderly represents himself as a potted plant, following the oneiric image described by his mother.

Similarly, focusing on ancestry, Heloisa Hariadne’s practice is characterised by vibrant colours that beckon the viewer into an introspective journey surrounded by elements from nature like botanical life and wild animals. Her works seek to intertwine painting and poetry, crafting a composition that reflects the aspirations of a new generation in Brazil. By merging different natural objects into fluid forms, Hariadne creates a
soft and intimate portrait where her continuous inner investigation becomes the ground where she moves between the abstract and the
figurative.

By presenting the human body within a politically fragile context, Joellington Rios, a native of a quilombo community in Maranhão, utilises photography to envision new frameworks for the black body. This involves portraying it beyond a punitive condition, showcasing its glory and strength. In the series “What Sustains Rio,” individuals from marginalised communities are depicted as the foundation of the entire state, simultaneously representing the central image of a postcard that transcends time and space.

In featuring these eight artists, all supported by the non-profit organisation Instituto Inclusartiz, “Whispers from the South” discusses Brazil’s colonial past and reimagines the present, highlighting local cultures and their ties to the global South. Each of these works echoes political and aesthetic discussions from a country located 9,000 km away, hinting at an ongoing revolution within the realm of visual arts—acting as seismographs of their time and heralding turmoil ahead.

Lucas Albuquerque.