Here I am, hanging out with Os Gemeos at PS 11!
Recently I have been obsessed with two things: 1) Street Art and 2) Brazilian contemporary artists. So, it was a marriage made in heaven when I got to meet “Os Gemeos” (which in Portuguese means “The Twins”). I have been following these guys for a long time; they travel a lot and are difficult to pin down but they let me know when they were going to be in NYC and we hooked up! Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo are identical twin brothers from Sao Paulo who, for two decades have been painting together and expressing themselves through the coolest art. They started as graphic designers, but when they met Barry McGee in Brazil circa 1993, their life changed and so did their art. Sixteen years later they have become part of the Brazilian “royalty” of contemporary art, and also some of the most important street artists in the world. I really enjoyed meeting them and hanging out while watching their progress in painting a mural that occupies the entire west façade of PS 11, a public school in Chelsea (about six floors high). It takes about a week to get a mural of this size completed and these guys work really hard, standing at considerable heights on top of giant cranes under strong sunlight. Even though they are Brazilian, their skin is fair although both their faces are covered by thick beards!
This is how the mural looked like last Sunday
Front view of the mural and the cranes
Hundreds of spray paint organized by color rest on the floor
This is the mural completed! Futura2000 collaborated with Os Gemeos and added some of his characters
(Photo courtesy of Os Gemeos)
The details are impressive, not to mention the sharpness of the colors and the amazing technique!
(Photo courtesy of Os Gemeos)
While talking to them, I gathered that Os Gemeos’ source of inspiration comes from everything and as they told me, their murals, pieces, and installations are always deeply influenced by their Brazilian roots, the folklore, politics, and the economic disparities that are so marked down there. World politics also play a role, and to confirm that, just check below the picture of the mural that they did in Portugal at the same time that they were having a fabulous show in the Museu Colecção Berardo in Lisbon (which is still running until September 19th). But these guys are also imaginative and playful; constantly talking about a secret place in their shared dreams, a placed called “Tritrez” that’s magical but sometimes sad. No wonder that the names of some of their shows and exhibitions sound so ethereal-- for example: “Too Far Too Close”; “Pra quem mora lá, o céu é lá” which vaguely translates into “For those who live there, heaven is there”; or ““Nos Braços de um Anjo” which means “In the Arms of an Angel”.
This is one side of the mural in Lisbon, take a look at the logos in the crown!
(Photo courtesy of Os Gemeos)
This is a recent mural in the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego
They also curate their own shows in museums and galleries around the world, in such spectacular way that I can’t think of points of comparison. The quality of their technique is reflected in their paintings and other pieces, which are impeccably and flawlessly executed. Also, of the amount of color they use, originality and utilization of space where everything is fair game including the floors and ceilings and who knows what surprises will be added to subsequent shows.
Absolutely amazing show in the Museu Colecção Berardo in Lisbon
(Photo courtesy of Stick2target.com)
More Lisbon
(Photo courtesy of Stick2target.com)
Fabulous detail, still in the Lisbon show!
(Photo courtesy of Stick2target.com)
Os Gemeos have been invited to all sorts of exhibits around the world. Their work has been shown in the Havana Biennial, the Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, the Museum Het Domein Sittard in the Netherlands, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and The Saatchi Gallery in London just to name a few.
If before meeting them I was a fan, now I’m totally sold: I ♥ Os Gêmeos.
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