ARCOLISBOA 2026

At one end, Bruno Novelli’s work emerges from a deeply personal and symbolic universe shaped by his experience in the Brazilian Amazon. His paintings construct imagined ecosystems populated by signs, vegetal forms, and fantastical creatures.

At the other, Mano Penalva’s practice approaches abstraction through processes of repetition, reuse, and accumulation. Working with found objects and everyday materials, his compositions tend toward essential structures, organized through modular systems and subtle geometric arrangements. His work reflects on material memory, the circulation of objects, and the narratives they carry.

Positioned between these two practices, Joana Vasconcelos operates as a point of convergence between the organic and the geometric. Through the use of traditional techniques such as Azorean crochet and azulejo tiles, her work articulates a language in which organic form and geometric pattern intertwine. In her Bestiary, animal figures are enveloped in woven structures—a repetitive matrix with the potential for continuous growth. Similarly, her use of tiles introduces a modular and ornamental logic deeply rooted in Portuguese cultural tradition. From this position, Vasconcelos connects individual imagination with collective memory and artisanal knowledge, acting as a bridge between Novelli’s imagined worlds and Penalva’s structural systems.

Back and Forth proposes a non-linear circulation of forms and ideas, where organic and geometric languages intersect and continuously redefine one another. Within the context of ARCOlisboa, the project articulates a dialogue between Portuguese and Brazilian artistic practices, highlighting cultural affinities, displacements, and shared resonances.

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Bruno Novelli (b. 1980, Fortaleza) lives and works in São Paulo. His painting practice has been presented in solo and group exhibitions in Brazil and internationally, including Sol de ouro at Museu Inimá de Paula, Belo Horizonte, and Tesouro das feras at MACRS — Museu de Arte Contemporânea do Rio Grande do Sul. He has also participated in major exhibitions organized by the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, such as Les Vivants (Lille, 2022), Siamo Foresta (Triennale Milano, 2023), and Exposition Générale (Paris, 2025). His work is included in the collection of the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Joana Vasconcelos (b. 1971, Paris) is one of the most internationally recognized Portuguese artists. In 2012, she became the first woman and the youngest contemporary artist to exhibit at the Palace of Versailles; in 2013, she represented Portugal at the 55th Venice Biennale; and in 2018, she was the first Portuguese artist to present a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Bilbao with I’m Your Mirror. Her work has been widely exhibited at major international institutions and holds a significant presence in leading museum collections.

Mano Penalva (b. 1987, Salvador) lives and works in São Paulo. His multidisciplinary practice has been presented in exhibitions such as Sala de estar at MAMAM — Museu de Arte Moderna Aloisio Magalhães, Recife, as well as in projects at MAR — Museu de Arte do Rio, Museu Oscar Niemeyer, and MARP — Museu de Arte de Ribeirão Preto. His work is held in institutional collections including MON — Museu Oscar Niemeyer, MAR, MAC Paraná, MARP, CIFO — Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, and Fundación Casa Wabi.