{"id":141934,"date":"2025-05-29T17:20:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T17:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/141934\/"},"modified":"2025-05-29T17:20:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T17:20:12","slug":"in-surreal-portraits-rafael-silveira-tends-to-the-garden-of-consciousness-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/141934\/","title":{"rendered":"In Surreal Portraits, Rafael Silveira Tends to the Garden of Consciousness \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

With scenic vistas for faces, blossoms for eyes, or nothing but coral above the shoulders, Rafael Silveira<\/a>\u2019s surreal portraits<\/a> summon aspects of human consciousness that span the spectrum of the wonderful and the weird. The Brazilian artist describes his work as \u201ca profound dive into the human mind,\u201d merging flowers, landscapes, and uncanny hybrid features into visages that channel humor with a slightly sinister undertone.<\/p>\n

Silveira\u2019s forthcoming solo exhibition, Agricultura C\u00f3smica at DCG Contemporary<\/a>, traverses \u201cthe fertile terrain of the subconscious,\u201d the gallery says. \u201cWith a nod to pop surrealism and the uncanny, his work imagines the mind as a garden where thoughts are seeds and images (are) the wildflowers that sprout.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cPLEEESE\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 \u00d7 23.62 inches<\/p>\n

Silveira works predominantly in oil, using panel or canvas as a surface and occasionally surrounding his works with ornate, hand-carved wooden frames. The sculptural details of the frames, like an anatomical heart in \u201cEyeconic Couple\u201d or an all-seeing eye topping \u201cA Croca\u0302ncia do Tempo\u201d \u2014 \u201cthe crunchiness of time\u201d in Portuguese \u2014 read like talismans.<\/p>\n

Many of Silveira\u2019s compositions begin with a traditional head-and-shoulders portrait composition as a starting point, but instead of skin we see a distant horizon, like in \u201cMagnetic,\u201d or a figure\u2019s head supplanted by a stalk of coral or a column of fire. Other pieces omit the human outline altogether in amusing arrangements of vivid flowers, which suggest wide eyes and addled expressions. While human forms shed their emotional autonomy as they converge with their surroundings, the flora in works like \u201cOMG\u201d and \u201cPLEEESE\u201d are a profusion of awe and desire.<\/p>\n

Agricultura C\u00f3smica opens in London on June 12 and continues through July 10. The show runs concurrently alongside an exhibition titled Plural by embroidery artist Flavia Itiber\u00ea<\/a>. See more on the artist\u2019s website<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cEyeconic Couple\u201d (2025), oil on panel and hand-carved frame, 15.75 \u00d7 35.43 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cInside Out\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 35.4 x 31.5 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cA Croca\u0302ncia do Tempo\u201d (2025), oil on panel and hand-carved frame, 35.4 x 31.5 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cThe Artifice of Eternity\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 \u00d7 31.5 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cOMG\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 23.62 \u00d7 23.62 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cPaixa\u0303o Ardente\u201d (2025), oil on panel and hand-carved frame, 35.4 x 31.5 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cThe Roots of Reality\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 35.4 x 31.5 inches<\/p>\n

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