"In an era of global cultural homogenization, his works carry an exceptional form of authenticity, speaking to the unique cultural specificities of the place he calls home - Bahia - while proposing an argument that remains globally comprehensible. The attraction of his works lies in their exotic nature that speaks to the cultural fusion of which he is witness." (Excerpt from 'Canibalização do dia-a-dia' by Jens Hoffmann).
Marepe (Santo Antônio de Jesus, Brazil, 1970) is known for a practice rooted in personal experience and affection, transforming everyday items into artifacts imbued with memory and critical commentary on social dynamics. Through sculptures, photographs, drawings, installations, and readymades, he explores the tension between the handmade and the industrial, the local and the global, the subjective and the collective. His work creates situations that—often with a candid sense of humor—evoke both the specificity of precarious living conditions in the Bahian countryside and a universal poetics capable of connecting audiences from diverse backgrounds.
Objects such as radiators, clay water filters, or umbrellas appear reconfigured through gestures that reveal the beauty and symbolic power of simple things. By bringing these elements into the exhibition space, Marepe furthers his investigation into the boundaries between art and life, crafting a path that points to his roots in Santo Antônio de Jesus while inviting the viewer to reflect on belonging, labor relations, transformation, and the passage of time.
Recent solo exhibitions include: Peripheral Vision, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, USA (2024); Group Dive, Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brazil (2022); Strangely Common, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (2019); Smooth in the Ship, Galerie Max Hetzler, Paris, France (2017); Warehouse of Myself, Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brazil (2015); News from the Lagoon, Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin, Germany (2014); Marepe, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, USA (2013); The Last Greens, Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brazil (2010); Discomplete, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, USA (2009); See My Dear, Tate Modern, London, UK (2007); Mirror, Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (2007); Red Yellow Green Blue, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France, and Museu de Arte da Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2005); Sinho, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, USA (2004); Horse Hoof, ACBEU Gallery, Salvador (1995); A Hand's Width from the Nose, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador (1990).
Notable group exhibitions include: Sample, Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brasil (2024); Plaza Ground: Works from the Pinacoteca Collection, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (2023); Zustandsbericht, Kunstraum Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany (2023); Obscure Light, Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brazil (2022); Lyrical Machine, Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brazil (2022); Encruzilhada, Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil (2022); O museu de Dona Lina, Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil (2021); Manhattan Tales, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, USA (2021); Samba in the Darkness, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, USA (2020).
The artist has had solo exhibitions at MAM-SP, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and Tate Modern in London. His work has also been featured in the São Paulo Biennial (2004), Venice Biennale (2003), Mercosul Biennial (2023, 1999), 3rd Bahia Biennial in Salvador (2015), as well as group exhibitions at major museums like Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain.
Collections holding his work include: Tate Collection, UK; Ellipse Foundation, Portugal; CACI Centro de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim, Brazil; MAM-SP Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, Brazil; MoMA The Museum of Modern Art, USA.