Luiz Zerbini
09 Sep - 01 Oct 2011
LUIZ ZERBINI
Every Jetson Has A Flintstone Inside
9 September - 1 October 2011
...when you look at something, you must forget what it is, and, at the same time, you must see inside the thing Luiz Zerbini
Luiz Zerbini creates textured immersive worlds; large-scale, colourful landscapes strewn with lush, exotic vegetation, stormy pixellated seascapes; buildings partially hidden by trees and overhanging branches, domestic interiors, and extensive silvery surfaces dotted with tiny geometric blocks of colour. The shallow interiors of his paintings often seep into the gallery space, connecting to real plants and flowers, and to sculptures resembling human bones or fragments of mosaic paving. Glass vase-sculptures contain succulent green leaves or long bones constructing strange watery layers of changing perception. More compact white, green and orange collages utilise old slide mounts alluding to art history, and the process of making and archiving art.
Much of Brazilian artist Zerbini’s work originates from and is inspired by his personal archive of small objects, photos, texts and souvenirs that evolve into dense, almost experiential environments. From an early interest in photography, figurative painting and theatre set design, his work has – over thirty years – evolved to combine painting with sculpture, and the real with the made. Although the medium of painting in itself is of little individual formal concern to Zerbini, he is constantly questioning the role of the medium, exploring its involving, absorbing qualities. His works are continuously foregrounding, juxtaposing styles and techniques; placing grid-like structures over naturalistic scenes; using organic and geometric patterning, figuration and abstraction, dark and shade.
Luiz Zerbini lives and works in Rio de Janeiro. He has been working mainly in painting since the 1980s and is also a member of sound installation trio Chelpa Ferro. As one of Latin America’s most respected contemporary artists Zerbini’s solo show at Max Wigram Gallery, EVERY JETSON HAS A FLINTSTONE INSIDE introduces his diverse practice to UK audiences for the first time.
Luiz Zerbini was born in São Paulo, Brazil and lives and works in Rio de Janeiro. His solo exhibitions include Galpão Fortes Vilaça, São Paulo (2010); Galeria Laura Alvin, Rio de Janeiro (2009); Do Corpo a Paisagem, Instituo Tomie Ohtake, São Paulo (2006); Galeria Filomena Soares, Lisbon, Portugal (2005) and Galeria Rabouan Moussion, Paris, France (2001). He presented work at the 29th Bienal de São Paulo 2010 and has taken part in many group shows including, recently O Gabinete de Curiosidades de Domenico Vandelli, Inhotim Centro de Arte Contemporânea, Minas Gerais, Brazil (2009); and 100 anos de Arte Brasileira na Coleção Gilberto Chateuabriand, Pinoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil (2006). His work is held in several public collections in Brazil.
Every Jetson Has A Flintstone Inside
9 September - 1 October 2011
...when you look at something, you must forget what it is, and, at the same time, you must see inside the thing Luiz Zerbini
Luiz Zerbini creates textured immersive worlds; large-scale, colourful landscapes strewn with lush, exotic vegetation, stormy pixellated seascapes; buildings partially hidden by trees and overhanging branches, domestic interiors, and extensive silvery surfaces dotted with tiny geometric blocks of colour. The shallow interiors of his paintings often seep into the gallery space, connecting to real plants and flowers, and to sculptures resembling human bones or fragments of mosaic paving. Glass vase-sculptures contain succulent green leaves or long bones constructing strange watery layers of changing perception. More compact white, green and orange collages utilise old slide mounts alluding to art history, and the process of making and archiving art.
Much of Brazilian artist Zerbini’s work originates from and is inspired by his personal archive of small objects, photos, texts and souvenirs that evolve into dense, almost experiential environments. From an early interest in photography, figurative painting and theatre set design, his work has – over thirty years – evolved to combine painting with sculpture, and the real with the made. Although the medium of painting in itself is of little individual formal concern to Zerbini, he is constantly questioning the role of the medium, exploring its involving, absorbing qualities. His works are continuously foregrounding, juxtaposing styles and techniques; placing grid-like structures over naturalistic scenes; using organic and geometric patterning, figuration and abstraction, dark and shade.
Luiz Zerbini lives and works in Rio de Janeiro. He has been working mainly in painting since the 1980s and is also a member of sound installation trio Chelpa Ferro. As one of Latin America’s most respected contemporary artists Zerbini’s solo show at Max Wigram Gallery, EVERY JETSON HAS A FLINTSTONE INSIDE introduces his diverse practice to UK audiences for the first time.
Luiz Zerbini was born in São Paulo, Brazil and lives and works in Rio de Janeiro. His solo exhibitions include Galpão Fortes Vilaça, São Paulo (2010); Galeria Laura Alvin, Rio de Janeiro (2009); Do Corpo a Paisagem, Instituo Tomie Ohtake, São Paulo (2006); Galeria Filomena Soares, Lisbon, Portugal (2005) and Galeria Rabouan Moussion, Paris, France (2001). He presented work at the 29th Bienal de São Paulo 2010 and has taken part in many group shows including, recently O Gabinete de Curiosidades de Domenico Vandelli, Inhotim Centro de Arte Contemporânea, Minas Gerais, Brazil (2009); and 100 anos de Arte Brasileira na Coleção Gilberto Chateuabriand, Pinoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil (2006). His work is held in several public collections in Brazil.