Marepe's work achieves a complex layering of references and meanings through the use of ready-made materials and everyday objects. "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).
Recent solo exhibitions include: Peripheral Vision, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, USA (2024); Group Dive, Galeria 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, Galeria Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brazil (2015); News from the Lagoon, Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin, Germany (2014); solo exhibition, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, USA (2013); The Last Greens, Galeria 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: Plaza Ground: Works from the Pinacoteca Collection, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (2023); Reverses & Transverses, Galeria Estação, São Paulo, Brazil (2023); Play Area, Silva Cintra + Box4, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2023); Zustandsbericht, Kunstraum Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany (2023); Obscure Light, Galeria Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brazil (2022); Lyrical Machine, Galeria Luisa Strina, São Paulo, Brazil (2022); 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.