BIENNALE DI VENEZIA 2026 - Arsenale: In Minor Keys
Artist: Ayrson Heraclito | Title: Juntó | Curator: Koyo Kouoh
2026.10.01
Seriously beautiful drawings and sculptures. Growing up in Latin America I am used to traditional artisanal crafts. What I was not used to is seeing the work of an artist that takes the elements and symbols of a particular indigenous culture and translates them, elevating it to an art form. The material is stainless steel. The scale is just right to appreciate the detail up close, but not too small that they remain artifacts.
We gain a new found appreciation for a culture and its religion, Candomblé Nagô-Ketu, that originated in West Africa before being violently transported to Brazil. The ink and watercolor drawings depict their principal and secondary deities.
Time and time again we encounter similar stories of remote cultures, life on the peripheries, vulnerable peoples, dying traditions. Kudos to Heraclito for presenting Candomblé Nagô-Ketu to us, prompting us to continue celebrating the diversity and complexity of the human experience.
Quite frankly, the true sign of beauty and art, these works are spectacularly beautiful on their own, their history of course adding immense depth to what was already valued.
by John C. Clements
thinkartmagazine.com
In association with Arroscia Residency
___________________________________________________________________________________
