Born in 1997, O Bastardo was raised in Mesquita, municipality of Baixada Fluminense, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Working initially using urban languages such as graffiti, the artist elaborates a direct dialogue between autobiographical issues and pictorial thought, a conquest developed between family experiences and art schools such as EAV Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro and currently Beaux-Arts de Paris.
In recent paintings, the issues held in the works lead us to cross between everyday practices of empowerment of black people and usual gestures of belonging to social groups, such as asking for blessing or bleaching hair. In the portrait scenes, in series such as Pretos de grife and Só Lazer, consumerism, leisure and vanity are some of the identifications exhibited by groups that are supposedly absent from this type of representation.
Leisure and consumerism are increasingly recurrent subjects in works by racialized artists, as history has highlighted the gestures of violence and survival as a means of insertion and denouncement of the atrocities perpetrated against the majority of Brazilian population. O Bastardo [The Bastard] makes of his own name, preceded by the definite article, a link of subversion of his own history, maintaining the classificatory word that, in art scenes, starts to redirect the subject and alert to the practice of exoticizing the margins.
Text courtesy Casa Triângulo

A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services