'False Symmetry' by Osvaldo Carvalho | BREEZE 2023

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The Embassy of Brazil in London is pleased to inaugurate the programme BREEZE with the exhibition False Symmetry, by Brazilian contemporary painter Osvaldo Carvalho.

Represented by Janaína Torres Galeria, Carvalho’s first solo show in the UK delves into power dynamics in captivatingly bold colours and imagery derived from mass culture, and evocative representations of public and private spaces.

False Symmetry is the winning proposal from BREEZE’s open call, which ran from October 2022 to January 2023, inviting galleries from all over the world to submit proposals to present the artworks of Brazilian artists. 

The exhibition combines Osvaldo Carvalho’s most recent series with selected pieces from his award-winning exhibition Promising Land (2011-2017), and focuses on the social and environmental impacts of human actions and examines asymmetry of power relations. 

Set against a pop atmosphere bursting with colours, figures, fragments, and symbols familiar from popular culture, Carvalho depicts everyday life on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, to propose a critical narrative thread of the here and now – what remains and what is to come.

The works on show make use of canvases that deliberately deviate from conventional dimensions; figures with intentionally skewed proportions for compositional balance; bold colour palettes and disproportionate graphic divisions to reflect the profound social and environmental imbalances in society.

“Each person has a very different point of departure in life, whether as a woman, as a racialised and/or LGBTQ+ individual; there is a whole array of people and communities who are inherently excluded and do not have the same starting point as others. The sooner we critically address this myth and tackle those false symmetries, the sooner we can reach common ground as a society.”                                                                                           – Osvaldo Carvalho 

Designed to promote contemporary Brazilian art to a global audience and strengthen its place in the international art market, the Embassy's programme BREEZE awards the winning project with production support and an exhibition space for four weeks at the Embassy’s main cultural space, located within a short distance from the National Gallery.