Maxwell Alexandre (1990, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) inaugurates his new solo show, Novo Poder: passabilidade, Miss Brasil, at Casa SP–Arte, the permanent space of the SP–Arte fair in São Paulo, on August 26th. The exhibition is held in partnership with Millan, the gallery that represents Maxwell.
Novo Poder: passabilidade, Miss Brasil continues the series Novo Poder (2021–), which the artist presented in February this year at the La Casa Encendida in Madrid, and between April and July at the first Pavilhão Maxwell Alexandre in Rio de Janeiro. The exhibition at Casa SP–Arte gathers more than 20 new works, produced especially for the occasion.
In the works in the Novo Poder (New Power) series, he explores the idea of a Black community within the consecrated temples for contemplation of contemporary art —galleries, museums, cultural centers, and foundations. For this, the artist emphasizes three basic marks: the colors black, white, and brown.
The color black is established by the characters’ figuration; the white one points to the white cube mirroring the exhibition space; and the brown one represents the work of art and self-references the type of paper used as the main support for the series.
Maxwell asserts that claiming such spaces is directly related to a position of power. “It is where history is legitimated, where narratives and the construction of images are manipulated.”
In addition to marking the beginning of the partnership with Millan, Novo Poder: passabilidade, Miss Brasil comes on the heels of the debut of the second Pavilhão Maxwell Alexandre. The new space opened on July 29 in Rocinha, the Rio de Janeiro favela where the artist was born and raised, and is the community's first contemporary art gallery. There, Maxwell exhibits works from the Entrega: one planet. one health series, launched earlier this year at Cahiers d'Art in Paris.
CASA SP–ARTE
Al. Ministro Rocha Azevedo, 1052, São Paulo
Mon–Fri: 10am – 7pm | Sat: 11am – 3pm
