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October 22, 2024

Welcoming Iran do Espírito Santo to Mazzoleni

We are proud to announce representation of artist Iran do Espírito Santo, in England and Italy, following his inaugural exhibition ‘Iran do Espírito Santo’ at Mazzoleni, London in May 2024. Based in São Paulo, Espírito Santo’s multidisciplinary practice spans sculptural works, drawings and large-scale installations, inviting viewers to contemplate the geometric beauty that the artist finds in the banality of everyday objects, through his unique approach to scale and materiality.

Espírito Santo (b.1963, Mococa, Brazil) initially worked in an architect studio and a photography studio, specialising in black and white photography, later developing his current artistic practice, while also working as an illustrator. His deep architectural interests are evident within his work, with Brazilian modernist architecture and his home of São Paulo influencing both form and colour within his oeuvre. The muted, monochromatic palette for which he is renowned, emerged from São Paulo’s concrete landscape, with the organised geometry of modernist architecture translated into the precise aesthetic of his compositions.

Often working on an ambitious scale, he wryly subverts the Minimalist tradition through his abstracted sculptures of familiar everyday objects made strange by their disorientating size and incongruous materials, such as granite, glass and aluminium. Each work, whether two or three-dimensional, originates from a drawing, the medium which ignited Espírito Santo’s passion for the visual arts, with each work then subsequently stripping away all extraneous detail, emphasising the essential line, form and geometry of the object.

‘We are thrilled to be representing Iran do Espírito Santo in England and Italy, the two central hubs for Mazzoleni. Iran’s distinct practice captivated us instantly, with his convergence of figurativism and conceptualism demonstrating a wholly unique approach. His work triggers distinctive reflection on life, guiding the viewer to contemplate how the objects he represents impact us and how through the manipulation of scale and material we view them with entirely different eyes. His thoughtful approach to both his artistic practice and life is something we greatly admire and we’re looking forward to sharing more of his work in both London and Turin.’

Luigi Mazzoleni & Davide Mazzoleni,  Mazzoleni, London  – Torino

Iran do Espírito Santo, b. 1963
Drops 2024, 2024
Aluminum
40 x 40 x 40 cm (each)

Espírito Santo will present works at Artissima 2024, from 1 – 3 November, including a new sculptural work, Drops 2024, created from solid aluminium. Through the choice of material, the original role of the dice, which they represent, are deemed obsolete, halted in the solidity of their structure. Here Espírito Santo once again plays with materiality and scale, this time encouraging the viewer to contemplate the theme of chance.

Iran do Espírito Santo, b. 1963
E. P. 2, 2014
Latex paint on paper
104 x 154 cm

In the past three decades, Iran do Espírito Santo has received much international acclaim, with his works being exhibited widely in museums and galleries across the globe. His work is included in the collections of many prominent museums, including: the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, MAXXI, Rome, IMMA, Dublin and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. He has also made substantial contributions to the Venice Biennale (1999 and 2007), the Bienal de São Paulo (1987), and the Istanbul Biennal (2000). Recent exhibitions have included Reflexivos at Oi Futuro, Brazil (2019) and Chosen Memories – Contemporary Latin American Art from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Gift and Beyond, MoMA, USA (2023).

Mazzoleni will represent Iran do Espírito Santo alongside Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel in Brazil, Ingleby Gallery in Scotland and Galerie Senda in Barcelona.

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