os gêmeos

22Oct09

osgemeosluggagestore1
Often painting folkloric-looking murals of red and yellow characters, the twin brother pair Otávio and Gustavo Pandolfo have an iconic style within graffiti art, and have been extremely significant in creating a Brazilian graffiti art visual language. Known as Os Gêmeos (literally translating from Portuguese to “The Twins”), the two first began painting graffiti art after an introduction to hip hop culture, breakdancing, and the NY tagging scene, and began to receive global attention after a chance meeting and subsequent collaboration with Barry McGee (who was on a painting fellowship in Brazil). Often depicting these eccentric characters in colorful, dream-like, almost surrealist sceneries and what looks like family portraits in their murals, Os Gêmeos’ exhibitions are fantastical universes known to supplement their characters with things like firecrackers, string lighting, music, sculptures, hand-crafted dolls, and various found objects. They are also often very interactive, with play-it-yourself organs or installations you can climb into. Their work often reflects the social and political climates of Brazil, its rich atmosphere and folklore, and its colorful landscape, ultimately creating a dreamlike world (something a New York Times article described as “Dr. Seuss on acid”) that the twins speak of as a place they now exist in together.

Check out some photos below from their very first exhibit at the Luggage Factory in SF (2003), from their Vertigem Exhibition, and from their street work.