Portrait of Maxwell Alexandre 2020. Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner
In our ongoing online series, renowned art consultant Maria-Theresia Pongracz profiles rising contemporary artists to watch in 2021. Here, she speaks to 30-year-old Brazilian artist Maxwell Alexandre about the difficulties of preparing a show during lockdown, his devotion to the Church of the Kingdom of Art and the precariousness of his paintings
Maria-Theresia Pongracz
Discovering new artistic talent is often also discovering different parts of the world, different cultures and different human experiences. One of my highlights last autumn, and one of the few shows I was able to see during the short period when galleries and museums were open in between lockdowns, was the Brazilian Maxwell Alexandre?s UK debut at David Zwirner. Having seen some images online before, I was very excited about the show and delighted to discover that the work was even more powerful in person. Hailing from Rocinha, the largest favela in Brazil, located in Rio de Janeiro?s southern zone, Alexandre?s work is a reflection on growing up with organised crime and state violence, as well as the evangelical church acting as a sort of saviour from such. The title of the show Pardo ̩ Papel, which takes its name from the Portuguese word pardo (meaning brown), refers to Brazil?s class system and the upheld belief that an individual?s skin colour determines their value Рthe less black or the whiter ...