Gustavo Nazareno, Afro-Latin Baroque
Opera Gallery Miami is pleased to present ‘Afro-Latin Baroque,’ a solo exhibition by Brazilian artist Gustavo Nazareno, marking his first solo presentation in the United States. Featuring 16 new paintings, this exhibition explores the intertwined legacies of faith, art, and resilience within Afro-Brazilian and Latin American traditions. Running alongside ‘Bára’ in Bal Harbour composed of charcoal drawings, ‘Afro-Latin Baroque’ showcases Nazareno’s deep engagement with cultural syncretism, spirituality, and the enduring power of artistic expression.
Nazareno’s work is rooted in the vibrant Afro-Brazilian artistic heritage of Minas Gerais and its complex relationship with Catholic iconography. Through a contemporary lens, he bridges the visual traditions of Brazilian Baroque masters such as Aleijadinho and Mestre Valentim with the spiritual aesthetics of Candomblé and Santería, creating compositions that feel both timeless and urgent. His paintings evoke the grandeur of Baroque theatricality, while embracing the ritualistic essence of Afro-Latin religious practices, forging a dialogue between historical legacies and contemporary identity.
In ‘Afro-Latin Baroque,’ Nazareno continues his exploration of duality—sacred and profane, light and shadow, movement and stillness. His figures resist fixed identities, existing beyond traditional gender or temporal constraints, embodying an ethereal presence that is both ghostly and divine. Drawing from the chiaroscuro techniques of Caravaggio and the expressive depth of contemporary fashion photography, his works blur the boundaries between the mythical and the real, evoking a sense of spiritual transcendence.
Speaking on the exhibition, Nazareno reflected, “This body of work is an homage to the intertwined legacies of Brazil and Cuba, two lands shaped by resilience, faith, and artistic brilliance. Through ‘Afro-Latin Baroque,’ I seek to explore the sacred convergence of Catholicism and Afro-Brazilian traditions, where the grandeur of Baroque art meets the vibrant spiritual essence of Candomblé and Santería.”
Through ‘Afro-Latin Baroque,’ Gustavo Nazareno continues to push the boundaries of contemporary painting, engaging with historical traditions while asserting a bold and deeply personal artistic vision. By reinterpreting Baroque aesthetics through the lens of Afro-Brazilian spirituality, he invites viewers into a space of reflection, reverence, and reimagined histories.
