Desali

(this page was last updated in June 2020)

Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 1983.
Lives and works in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Represented by Am Gallery and by Athena Gallery.

PIPA 2017, 2018 and 2019 nominee.

Moving through multiple languages, such as painting, photography, performance and video, Desali’s work is characterized by the subversion of hierarchies, both artistic and social. The waste of the city and the smallest memories can have artistic value, just as the figure of the artist is seen with irony and treated in a common way. He promotes contact between the suburbs, disadvantaged groups, and the art world, questioning the institutions and contaminating them with the street’s energy.

Website: www.desali.com

Video produced by Do Rio Filmes, exclusively for PIPA Prize 2019:

Artworks

About the artworks:

– “Deal with the owner”
Conceived and performed by Desali and Manuel Carvalho, 2015, a series of portraits were made of the costumers of a bar located in the neighborhood of the residence. The paintings were given to those portrayed and shown at the bar, transforming it into an art gallery. Art collectors were invited to the venue to buy these works from their real owners.

Biography

DESALI is a bachelor of Fine Arts by the Escola Guignard, Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais (2009). Desali held the solo exhibitions “Alicerce” (Groundwork), Galeria de Arte Sesiminas, Belo Horizonte (2013), “Vista-me enquanto não envelheço” (Dress me up while I do not grow old), Galeria Orlando Lemos, Belo Horizonte (2014)and “Vulgo. Lembra-se da grande mesa na sala de jantar”(Alias. Remember the big table in the dining room), Mari’Stella Tristão Gallery at Paláciodas Artes, ARTEMINAS program, “não quis o que estava no ar”(did not want what was on the air), Belo Horizonte (2017); And also participated in collective exhibitions such as: “Segue-se ver o que quisesse”, Palácio das Artes, Belo Horizonte (2012); “Mostra Curto-circuito”, SESC Palladium, Belo Horizonte (2016),SIMBIO, Palácio das Artes, Belo Horizonte (2016) and “Sangue de bairro”(Neighborhood Blood) jointly with Affonso Uchoa, second exhibition program of CCSP 2017 in São Paulo (2017). He was selected to join the 32º Salão de Arte do Pará (2013) and the artist-in-residence programs “Dispositivo móvel”, JA.CA –Centro de Arte e Tecnologia, Nova Lima -MG (2015) and AGORA -International Art Action, Bela Crkva -Serbia (2016). He also has artworks acquired by Centro Cultural São Paulo (CCSP), for the collection “Arte da cidade”. Desali is the creator of the artistic action “Piolho Nababo”, which consists of the temporary installation of an itinerant art gallery. Questioning the basic precepts of the art market, since 2011 the “Piolho” operates without curatorship, without the organization of the “white cube” and promoting a popular trade of works. Regularly, the gallery holds performative auctions to sell the exhibited works, always with an initial bid of R$ 1,99 (0.63 US Dollars). “Piolho Nababo” also had editions in art spaces such as Teatro Espanca (2013) and Palácio das Artes (2014), both in Belo Horizonte. Moving through multiple languages, such as painting, photography, performance and video, Desali’s work is characterized by the subversion of hierarchies, both artistic and social. In his work, the waste of the city, the smallest memories or even the rubbish have artistic value, just as the figure of the artist is seen with irony and treated in a common way. Desali acts to promote contact between the suburbs, the most disadvantaged social strata, and the art world, questioning the traditional artistic institutions and contaminating them with the street’s energy.

Curriculum

Solo Exhibitions
2017
– “Vulgo. Lembra-se da grande mesa na sala de jantar”, Galeria Mari’Stella Tristão, Palácio das Artes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Não quis o que estava no ar”, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2014
– “Vista-me enquanto não envelheço”, Galeria Orlando Lemos, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2013
– “Alicerce”, Galeria de Arte Sesiminas, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Group exhibitions
2019
– Artista participante do Bolsa Pampulha 2019
– “Fatality”, Video Installation, pelo VAC, Verão Arte Contemporânea, CCBB-BH, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Trabalho”, short movie, Mostra de Cinema de Tiradentes, Tiradentes, Brazil
– “Escola Guignard 75 anos”, AM Galeria, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Xenon 1.6”
2018
– “Paisagens que aprendi de cor”, tribute to the paintor Inimá de Paula, curated by Júlio Martins, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Como uma quilha corta as ondas”, curated by Manu Grossi, Casa Azeitona, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Timeline 4”, festival internacional de video arte Sesc Palladium, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Primeira vez”, Lemos de Sa, 10 contemporâneos, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Isla Magnética”, encontro de video analogico, Casa MC, Chile
2017
– “Sangue de bairro”, in partnership with Affonso Uchoa, CCSP, São Paulo, Brazil
– “De corpo presente, a performatividade da presença-ausência”, “Canteiro de obras” project, in partnership with Loreno Ross and paula Lanza, Galeria de Arte do Centro Cultural Sesiminas, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Ninguém me dirá quem sou nem saberá quem fui”, Galeria Mama/Cadela, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “WRO 2017 Biennale: Draft Systems”, Warsaw, Poland
– “Corpo Estranho”, Galeria Viaduto das Artes Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2016
– “Mostra Interupcija”, Pobeda Factory, Bela Crkva, Serbia
– “Leilão Aparelhamento”, Funarte, São Paulo, Brazil
– Artistic occupation Carta das Laranjeiras, Fundação Pierre Verger, Salvador, Brazil
– “Izidora, presente”, “Simbio” exhibition, Galeria Mari’Stella Tristão, Palácio das Artes (Fundação Clóvis Salgado), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Izidora, presente”, “Simbio” exhibition, Museu Regional São João Del-Rei, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Brasilidade”, Centro de Arte Popular Cemig, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Curta Circuito”, Galeria GTO, SESC Paladium, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Foto_Invasão”, Red Bull Station, São Paulo, Brazil
– “Coloque um título aqui”, Viaduto das Artes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– Festival Camelo de Arte Contemporânea, Galpão Paraiso, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– Lauch of Art Zé e Coletivo Margem zines and performance of Coletivo Entreaspas, Banca, Escola de Arquitetura e Design da UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– Artistic intervention on the final event of “Extrema”, Residency on live arts, Belo Horizonte,Brazil
– Art auction “Pela Cidade que Queremos”, Guaja Café Co-Working, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Para guardar na memória”, itinerant gallery on CRAS Bom Destino, Santa Luzia, Brazil
2015
– “Tratar direto com o proprietário”, Centro de Arte e Tecnologia, JA.CA, Jardim Canadá, Nova Lima, Brazil, resulting from a partnership project with Manuel Carvalho, at the international residency program on JA.CA
– “Leilão de Arte Piolho Nababo R$ 1,99 – Queimão de Natal”, Galeria de Arte Sesiminas, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Leilão de Arte Piolho Nababo R$ 1,99”, residency and atelier, “A Destruição” exhibition, Galeria Mama/Cadela, Belo Horizonte, MG
– “Leilão de Arte Piolho Nababo R$ 1,99 – FIQfora”, Viaduto Santa Tereza, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Não confie em ninguém com mais de 40”, Viaduto das Artes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2014
– “Leilão de Arte Piolho Nababo R$ 1,99”, Palácio das Artes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Art Rio”, Contemporary Art Fair, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
– “O (mesmo) sol por testemunha”, partnership between José Octavio Cavalcante and Warley Desali, Aliança Francesa, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Antimônio”, Galeria Mama/Cadela, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “50 Gramas de copo”, partnership between Manuel Carvalho and Warley Desali, Aliança Francesa, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2013
– 32th Salão Arte Pará, Belém, Brazil
– “Depois do expediente”, Centro de Arte e Tecnologia, JA.CA, Jardim Canadá, Nova Lima, Brazil
– “Leilão de Arte Piolho Nababo R$ 1,99”, “O Cubo Reinventado” exhibition, Teatro Espanca, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Infiltrações”, Aliança Francesa, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2012
– II Semana da Fotografia de Belo Horizonte, Espaço 104, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Noite Branca”, Parque Municipal, Palácio das Artes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Muros Territórios Compartilhados”, Fortaleza, Brazil
– Salão de Arte de Itabirito, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Segue-se ver o que quisesse”, Palácio das Artes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2011
– “Mostra Final”, Espaço Quina, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Grafite Sem Limite”, Galeria Mari’Stella Tristão, Palácio das Artes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Leilão de Arte Piolho Nababo R$ 1,99”, Cabaré Cultural Nelson Bordello, Casa Vadia e Espaço Fluxo, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2010
– “Experymental”, coordination project by Marco Túlio Resende and Ana Cristina Brandão, Espaço 104, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2009
– “Olhar as subculturas”, FNAC, Portugal
– “Em Obras”, Galeria Gesto Gráfico, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Algumas presenças, uma ausência”, Galeria da Cemig, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– Bienal Internacional de Grafite, Serraria Souza Pinto, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2008
– “Rua Paralela”, Galeria Gesto Gráfico, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2007
– “Kaza Vazia”, Galeria de Arte Itinerante, ocupação do Edifício Maletta, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– IX Mostra Interna, Escola Guignard (UEMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Curatorships
2017
– “Nós e o gueto”, Galeria Luthier, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2016
– Individual exhibition of Mixone, Ateliê Pé Vermelho, Bairro Nacional, Contagem, Brazil
2014
– “Alex Rosa – O Inventor de Formas”, Galeria Chimera Cultural, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2011
– “Leilão de Arte Piolho Nababo R$ 1,99”, Galeria em Processo Itinerante, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Art and Education
2016
– Volunteer at a Judicial program for remotion and humanized resettlement of families living around the metropolitan highways roads and BR-381 road, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2015
– Volunteer professor at Brincar School, a school focus on children and youngsters with special learning needs, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2012-2014
– Volunteer at a multidisciplinary capacitation and volunteer center (OMCV), Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Residencies and Workshops
2016
– “AGORA – Internacional Art Action”, Bela Crkva, Serbia
– “Mostra Curta Circuito”, Galeria GTO, SESC Paladium, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Extrema – Residência em artes vivas”, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Mostra Simbio”, Palácio das Artes (Fundação Clóvis Salgado), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2015
– “Dispositivo Móvel”, International residency program at JA.CA – Centro de Arte e Tecnologia, Bairro Jardim Canadá, Nova Lima, Brazil
– Residency and atelier at Galeria Mama/Cadela, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2012
– Residência da Bienal Universitária de Arte, Bienal 1, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Prizes and Quotes
2016
– Selected artist speaker for the 1th “Fórum Mundial de Formação em Arte e Cultura”, Palácio das Artes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– Selected artist on Circula Minas project, from the Secretaria de Estado de Cultura de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– Dissertation and book “Pele de Propaganda, lambes e stickers”, Belo Horizonte [2000-2010], Luiz Navarro
2013
– Dissertation and book “Educação e Juventude – os saberes de quem cola e os saberes da escola: uma etnografia da anti-galeria de arte Piolho Nababo em Belo Horizonte – MG”, Gilbert Daniel da Silva
2008
– Awarded artist in the Xth Mostra interna da Escola Guignard (UEMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil