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Artworks
José Leonilson Brazilian, 1 March 1957-28 May 1993
Untitled, 1987Acrylic paint, metallic paint and coloured pencil on canvas, thread, copper wire and metal tokens110 x 212 cm
43 1/4 x 83 1/2 inFurther images
Leonilson cultivated a space between the disciplines of painting and textile, producing gentle work that is electrified in its political defiance of gender conventions and reframing of tradition to express...Leonilson cultivated a space between the disciplines of painting and textile, producing gentle work that is electrified in its political defiance of gender conventions and reframing of tradition to express queer identity. On large, unstretched canvases, he incorporated images that alluded to the conflict between his homosexuality and Catholic heritage; the transition from a small town to a metropolis like São Paulo; and the tensions of a deeply autobiographical work within the context of the expressionist painting of the so-called 80s Generation.
Untitled, 1987 reflects the artist’s use of encoded symbolism to both convey and protect intimate thoughts. A pair of fish at once evoke Catholic fraternity, Pisces and its mythological associations with Aphrodite and Eros, and the queer motif of the double, in an image both guarded and meaningful.Provenance
Direct from artist;
Private collection, São Paulo
Exhibitions
Leonilson: trabalhos recentes [recent works], Galeria Luisa Strina, São Paulo, 1987
80/90: modernos, pós-modernos etc [80/90: modern, post-modern etc], Instituto Tomie Ohtake, São Paulo, 2007
Sob o peso dos meus amores [Under the weight of my loves], Itaú Cultural / Capela do Morumbi, São Paulo, 2011; Fundação Iberê Camargo, Porto Alegre, 2012
Eu represento os artistas, revisited, Galeria Luisa Strina, São Paulo, 2014
Publications
80/90: modernos, pós-modernos etc [80/90: modern, post-modern etc] (exhibition catalogue). São Paulo: Instituto Tomie Ohtake, 2009.
Leonilson: Sob o peso dos meus amores (exhibition catalogue). Porto Alegre: Fundação Iberê Camargo, 2012, illustrated p. 100.
Dias, Ana Lenice & Gabriela Dias Clemente. Leonilson: Catalogue Raisonné Volume II (1981-1989). São Paulo: Projeto Leonilson, 2017, page 303.
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