Galeria Estação – SP-Arte 2026

For SP-Arte 2026, Galeria Estação presents a booth conceived as a site of encounter—a space where distinct temporalities within Brazilian art converge and resonate. The presentation brings together eleven artists whose practices, while diverse in origin, generation, and language, share a deep engagement with memory, imagination, and the continual reinvention of form.

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The curatorial framework is grounded in the notion of an expanded landscape—understood not simply as a depiction of natural or urban environments, but as a symbolic construction of worlds. Conceived by Galeria Estação, the project fosters a dialogue between historical masters of Brazilian popular art and contemporary artists who both challenge and extend this legacy.

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At one end of this dialogue, the sculptural force of Artur Pereira (1920–2003) is exemplified through a vertically structured wooden work, where animals are arranged in circular and ascending movements. Carved in cedar, the piece reflects his technical mastery, seamlessly integrating architectural structure with organic vitality to create a dynamic visual narrative.

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The geometrically structured and chromatically vibrant compositions of Aurelino dos Santos (1942–2026)—who passed away earlier this year—reaffirm his singular place within Brazilian painting. Beginning his practice in the 1960s, Aurelino was influenced by sculptor Agnaldo Manoel dos Santos (1926–1962) and encouraged by Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992). His works articulate idealized visions of Salvador through simultaneous perspectives and rigorous compositional logic, and are held in major institutional collections, including Instituto Inhotim and Museu Afro Brasil.

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The pictorial narratives of Cardosinho (1861–1947) and Júlio Martins da Silva (1893–1978) offer two distinct approaches to visual memory. Cardosinho, whose works are included in collections such as MoMA and Tate Modern, developed compositions that balance erudition, imagination, and formal freedom. Júlio Martins da Silva, represented in collections including the Pinacoteca de São Paulo and Museu Afro Brasil, created compelling visual chronicles of urban life with remarkable historical sensitivity.

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The symbolic density of Chico Tabibuia (1936–2007) is represented through a work of strong formal and conceptual presence, underscoring his continued institutional relevance, as evidenced by his inclusion in the exhibition Histórias da Ecologia at MASP (2025–2026).

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From Izabel Mendes da Cunha (1924–2014), we present a ceramic sculpture of a standing female figure, marked by serenity and quiet strength. Her work reveals refined volumetric construction and a dignified presence rooted in the traditions of the Vale do Jequitinhonha. Her work is part of the Fondation Cartier collection and is currently on view in Exposition Générale in Paris through August 2026.

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The essential strength of the carved forms of Nino (João Cosmo Feliz, 1920–2002) highlights the artist’s inventive autonomy. Working with minimal tools, he combined sculpture, relief, and painting to create dynamic compositions populated by human and animal figures. His works invite the viewer to move around them, revealing layered and open-ended narratives, and are held in major collections including Fondation Cartier.

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In dialogue with this historical core, we begin by presenting three contemporary artists whose practices expand the notions of landscape and imagination:

Rafael Pereira (b. 1986) presents a series of oil pastel drawings dedicated to key figures in Brazilian art history. Drawing from archival photographic sources, he transforms documentary imagery into compositions of strong chromatic intensity. His recent participation in the Sertão Negro residency further deepens his engagement with memory and historiography.

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Santídio Pereira (b. 1996) is represented by unique woodcuts, gouaches on paper, and wooden objects. His work, characterized by synthetic botanical forms and precise compositions, reimagines printmaking as both image and object. His recent international residencies in Angola and the Atacama Desert reflect the growing global reach of his practice.

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Alexandre Wagner (b. 1986) presents paintings that explore the tension between representation and abstraction. Through a fluid, almost liquefied pictorial language, landscapes and natural elements dissolve into fields of color and gestural marks.

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This is followed by the presentation of two additional contemporary artists.

Higo José (b. 1994) develops a practice that brings together embroidery, sculpture, and installation through references to ancestral material cultures. Inspired by archaeology and visual traces from distant times, his work reimagines figures and scenes across textile surfaces and sculptural forms that evoke megalithic structures. His practice establishes a dialogue between past and present, where ancestry and contemporary language converge.

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Andre Barion develops an artistic practice structured around the relationship between drawing, sewing, and textile construction, articulating processes that move between the domestic sphere and the formal construction of images. Born in São Paulo, he began his trajectory through a continuous investigation of manual gesture, bringing everyday practices into dialogue with a rigorously constructed visual language. His formation emerges at the intersection of experimentation and research, consolidating a practice that navigates between tradition and contemporaneity.

The booth is conceived as a sensory journey, where wood, clay, paint, paper, and matrix engage in a formal dialogue—through verticality, chromatic construction, and the recurring presence of nature and the human figure. Rather than organizing the presentation by period or category, we propose a direct coexistence of works that, though distant in time, share structural concerns: manual making, autonomy of gesture, and the construction of singular worlds.

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Highlights include sculptures of strong institutional relevance, works held in major international and national collections, and contemporary practices that reaffirm the vitality of Brazilian artistic production.

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For SP-Arte 2026, our presentation is conceived as an invitation to attentive looking and contemplation—a space where tradition and contemporaneity are understood as part of a continuous and evolving narrative.