Rafa Silvares

Rafa Silvares’ work is based on the juxtaposition of everyday objects and cultural cut-outs of different origins. By playing with collage and painting, elements with a strong mundane character are agglutinated in the work. Household utensils, references to literature, art history, figures and color blocks are combined in a flow of consciousness that floats on the canvas. With the accumulation of these elements, humorous interactions are established between different visual worlds where objects are personified and the human figure is reified. The strategy of collage is not only thematic. There are in the paintings juxtapositions of different techniques and pictorial codifications. The figurative aspect serves as a springboard for an attempt to decode images and makes concessions to the usage of pictorial effects, make-up, decoupage, gradients and information masks. By mirroring the slippery balance between what can be seen as real or fictional, the paintings theatrise the relationship between things and propose a reflection on our habits and ways of configuring the world. 

Rafa Silvares studied Visual Arts at FAAP and Letters at FFLCH-USP and presented his first works in collective exhibitions at Casa Triângulo in 2006, at São Paulo Bienal in 2008 – in collaboration with the group AVAF, at Beoproject gallery in Belgrade in 2012, at Jaqueline Martins gallery in 2017, at OLHÃO space in 2019 among other collective and institutional exhibitions. In 2016 he participated in the PIVÔ residency programs and in 2018 in the La Centrale residence in Paris.