WASHINGTON, D.C. – A giant inflatable doll with a yellow body and purple hair welcomes visitors to the Hirshhorn Museum.
The size of the installation gives a sense of the importance of the exhibition OSGEMEOS: Endless Story for this modern and contemporary art museum in the heart of the American capital.
This is the largest retrospective ever held in the United States featuring works by Brazilian twins Gustavo and Otávio Pandolfo, internationally known as osgemeos (that’s right, all together and without accents, as they sign their works).
It took three years of preparation for the exhibition, which brings together approximately a thousand pieces, including drawings, graffiti, paintings, photographs, installations – and even clothes worn by the brothers in the 80s, the heyday of the hip-hop movement and a major source of inspiration for both.
Curator Marina Isgro traveled to Brazil to get to know the extensive collection of the artists, kept in their studio in Cambuci, São Paulo, where they were born and still work. Marina also sought to better understand the fantastic world they reproduce in many of their works.
When they were children, around five years old, Otávio and Gustavo discovered a parallel universe, which they called Tritez. “This is a magical, spiritual, and intense place, where we feel comfortable and harmonious. As soon as we discovered it, we started painting it on the streets of São Paulo, sharing all the details we see, with beautiful colors and landscapes. For us, this is a place of pure imagination.”
It is no coincidence that the main room of the exhibition, occupying an entire floor of the Hirshhorn, is dedicated to this fantastic world. For example, there is one of the pieces that left Brazil for the first time, the Altar Tritez (2020), a colorful structure housing sculptures of the yellow characters, with broad features, which have become the trademark of osgemeos, and which, according to them, are always unique and there will never be two alike.
When visiting OSGEMEOS: Endless Story, you can see up close the path taken by the brothers from São Paulo. There are videos and photos of them as children, dancing break on the city streets or taking art classes at the Pinacoteca.
The strong presence of family can also be felt at various points in this journey, whether it’s the hip-hop clothes made by the grandmother at the request of her grandsons, the tapestries made together with mother, Dona Margarida, or even the canvas painted in collaboration with the older brother, Arnaldo.
It can be difficult to reconcile osgemeos’ vibrant and extraordinary work with the discreet figures of Otávio and Gustavo. Only those who knew them before could identify them at the press opening of the exhibition. Quiet and soft-spoken, the brothers are always by each other’s side, and when describing the works, one complements the other’s information, just as they both answer questions together.
While they have exhibited their work abroad several times, including a recent show at the Lehmann Maupin Gallery in New York, being at the Hirshhorn – in an exhibition that will be on display for a whole year – is a huge international recognition following the success of Segredos, at the Pinacoteca in São Paulo in 2021.
“At the Pinacoteca, we opened our treasure chest, stored for years. There we had the first experience of showing our collection, which we always cherished so much – our drawings, studies, the development of our style,” reveal Gustavo and Otávio.
“Now Endless Story shows a continuity, this work that never ends. And the museum here really embodies that idea as well. Being circular, you visit all the exhibition rooms and when you finish, you can enter it again. So there is no end, actually.”
The creative process of the two never stops. Even during the installation of the Hirshhorn exhibition, they continued to produce new pieces on-site. “We turned the museum into our studio. We did many things here, we wanted to work here to feel the circular energy of the building.”
Although many of osgemeos’ creations are colossal in scale, such as their murals painted on building facades in Lisbon, Berlin, Mumbai, or New York, it is the small details and techniques created by the self-taught Brazilian artists – who have never undergone formal academic training – that make their style so original.
“What makes their work so unique is that they combine multiple visual traditions into something completely distinct,” says Marina Isgro. “They combine, obviously, the New York hip-hop culture of the 70s and 80s, with some Brazilian elements and science fiction, for example, to build this complete world. They can imagine all the details of this universe and I believe that’s what makes their work so fascinating to visitors.”
One of osgemeos’ characteristic techniques is the use of a very fine line to outline the human figures and objects depicted. There is also meticulous care in developing the prints of the characters’ clothes. For those with a more discerning eye, it is easy to recognize in the works the cultural references to their homeland.
“Brazilian elements are found in various places, such as the use of oratories, where they painted their characters inside, or even in the traditional frames of family portraits from the past, which they used to see at their grandmother’s house,” points out the curator. “The way they capture elements of the culture, integrating them so seamlessly into their style, is very enjoyable.”
For the brothers, bringing Brazil to the international contemporary art scene is very important.
“This exhibition is not just for us, but for Brazil. By opening an exhibition of this magnitude here, we are not only opening doors for ourselves, but for an entire new generation of artists who face the prejudice of street art, of graffiti.”
“It’s always a barrier, and by breaking it down, we bring these people along. Just as others have done before, allowing us to get here.”
Source
Arwen Volkov, A graduate of the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland with a degree in International Finance, Arwen specializes in sustainable finance and green investments. She began her career at an investment bank in London, where she developed financing models for environmentally friendly projects. Known for her analytical and strategic thinking skills, Arwen is a sought-after financial consultant. In her spare time, she mentors fintech startups, contributing to their growth strategies. She is also a nature enthusiast and an amateur photographer.
