SÉRGIO SISTER

Sister began his career in the 1960s, a period marked by significant political turbulence in Brazil with the rise of the MilitaryDictatorship. His early work was strongly influenced by Pop Art and the New Figuration. Engaged in the student movement,he was arrested and tortured, producing a significant body of work while in prison. After his release, he resumed his artisticcareer in the early 1980s, coinciding with a resurgence of painting both in Brazil and globally. Since then, his practice hasfocused on the fundamental elements of painting, such as color and surface, and their relationship with space.

In this exhibition, the paintings on canvas consist of diptychs and polyptychs of distinct colors joined together by metal plates,which are themselves often painted in other colors, creating narrow intervals between the canvases.

As described by critic Felipe Scovino: “These pieces demand a modular construction, yet also possess autonomy.“While Sister reaffirms the monochrome of each canvas and its flatness, he creates a sort of “break” through these intervals,embracing a sense of three-dimensionality.

Another significant body of work featured in the exhibition is the “Caixas” (Boxes) series, in which the artist creates structuresthat resemble wooden boxes used for transporting and storing fruits and vegetables in street markets and supermarkets,painting the strips in different colors. This three-dimensional approach allows for an interaction between the shades,expanding the realm of painting to encompass found objects. The exhibition includes works from the “Ripas” (Slats) series,which further the investigation of color and three-dimensionality, as well as engage in a dialogue with prominent names fromBrazilian art history such as Willys de Castro, along with three paintings made on kozo paper, made from rice fiber, which theartist has used since the late 1980s. Noteworthy for its rarity, kozo paper also stands out for its great flexibility and durability.The works in this series possess a more organic character than his earlier works, showing greater freedom and less geometric.

sérgio sister

Sérgio Sister (b. 1948, São Paulo, Brazil) started his artistic production in the late 1960s, during which he worked as ajournalist and became involved in political resistance against the Brazilian military regime (1964-1985). As part of the80s generation, he revisits an age-old pictorial theme: the interaction between surface and three-dimensionality, aimingto liberate painting into space. His works from that period are characterized by overlaying chromatic layers, resulting inautonomous fields of color that coexist harmoniously. Today, his artistic practice combines painting and sculpture, employingbrackets derived from found structures and systems designated to serve our daily needs, as observed in the “Ripas” seriessince the late 1990s and the “Caixas” series since 1996, named after the manufactured products from which they derive.

Sérgio Sister resides and works in São Paulo, Brazil. Among his recent solo exhibitions are: Then and Now at Nara Roesler,New York, USA (2019); Sérgio Sister: o sorriso da cor e outros engenhos (Sérgio Sister: The Smile of Color and Other Devices)at Instituto Ling, Porto Alegre, Brazil (2019); “Sérgio Sister” at Kupfer Gallery, London, UK (2017); Sérgio Sister: Malen MitRaum, Schatten und Luft (Sérgio Sister: Painting with Space, Shadow, and Air) at Galerie Lange + Pult, Zurich, Switzerland(2016); and “Expanded Fields” at Nymphe Projekte, Berlin, Germany (2016). He participated in the 9th and 25th editions ofthe São Paulo Biennial (1967, 2002).

Recent group exhibitions include: Co/respondences at Galeria Nara Roesler NY (2023); A linha como direção (The Line as aDirection) at Pina Estação, São Paulo, Brazil (2019); The Pencil is a Key: Art by Incarcerated Artists at The Drawing Center,New York, USA (2019); Géométries Américaines, du Mexique à la Terre de Feu (American Geometries, from Mexico to Tierradel Fuego) at Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Paris, France (2018); AI-5 50 anos – Ainda não terminou de acabar(AI-5 50 years - It’s still not over) at Instituto Tomie Ohtake (ITO), São Paulo, Brazil (2018); and MAC USP no século XXI – Aera dos artistas (MAC USP in the 21st Century - The Era of Artists) at Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de SãoPaulo (MAC USP), São Paulo, Brazil (2017).

His works are part of important collections, including Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; François Pinault Collection,Venice, Italy; Fundación/Colección Jumex, Mexico City, Mexico; Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM-Rio), Rio deJaneiro, Brazil; MAR; MASP; MAC-USP; Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, among others.

Press release courtesy Galeria Nara Roesler.