Beatriz Milhazes, 2021
Brazilian painter Beatriz Milhazes merges distinct worldviews in her vibrant abstract compositions, drawing parallels with modernist masters like Henri Matisse and Bridget Riley. Her work is saturated with the colors and light of Brazil, incorporating symbols from everyday life, carnival, and diverse artistic traditions, all orchestrated with an exuberant visual rhythm. Beneath the colorful surface, a sense of a "broken paradise" emerges, echoing darker, melancholic tones found in both tropical life and modernist abstraction.
Milhazes developed a distinctive transfer technique in the late eighties, painting motifs onto plastic sheets and then peeling them away once dry to achieve layered, iridescent surfaces. Since her breakthrough in the early 1990s, her artistic practice has expanded to include screen prints, collages, sculptures, and site-specific installations. This updated edition, featuring works up to 2020, delves into all phases of her creative journey.