SECRET SANTA

A Gentil Carioca is pleased to present Amigo Oculto [Secret Santa], a group exhibition curated by Victor Gorgulho, opening on Saturday, November 14, from 6 to 11 pm, at the gallery’s Rio de Janeiro space.

The exhibition emerges from an exercise in recognition among artists of different generations. Prompted by the question “Who is your Secret Santa?”, the artists represented by the gallery were invited to nominate other artists whose work inspires admiration, interest, or a sense of affinity with their own artistic practice. From the many nominations received, the curator made a selection that brings together a heterogeneous group of artworks, in which different perspectives converge, creating unexpected affinities and new possibilities for dialogue. Rather than establishing historical connections, the exhibition proposes an encounter between artists through their references, affections, and interests, celebrating the power of exchange and mutual admiration within the field of art.

As in the end-of-year gift exchange game that lends the exhibition its title, the pairings are revealed only within the exhibition space: the labels accompanying each artwork display, alongside the artist’s name, the name of the person who nominated them.

The selection brings together works by Alice Garambone, Almeida da Silva, Arthur Chaves, Benedikt Wiertz, Carlos Renato, Fluxo Marginal, Luiz Zerbini, Matheus Ribs, Mira Schendel, Natan Dias, Pedro Paulo Honorato, Rivane Neuenschwander, and Wisrah C. V. da R. Celestino.