Antonio Obá

Brazilian artist Antonio Obá investigates the erasure of Black identity from the historical, spiritual, and political narratives of Brazil. Placing Black bodies at the centre of his paintings, sculptures and performances, these figures are often positioned next to symbolic objects or scenes within Brazilian culture, revealing the biases that feed the country’s identity. Challenging the predominant imagery of white bodies within Brazil’s art history, Obá builds incredibly detailed historical tableaux in his paintings, with Black figures in lush landscapes or domestic settings, rewriting and constructing narratives lost to popular memory. The paintings and his installations are strikingly intimate in tone. They hold space for his own personal experiences, whilst his works also manage to tap into particular historical moments and wider contemporary conditions for Black Brazilians today.