BAZAR
Ozi
Exhibition from May 24th until July 12th 2013 (Opening reception on May 23 at 6pm)
Open Monday through Friday, from 11a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment
Curator: Marco Antonio Teobaldo
After participating in 2012, in the celebrated Urbana exhibition held at espace_L Gallery in Geneva, Ozi, a brazilian artist from Sao Paulo, presents "Bazar", his first solo exhibition abroad, curated by Marco Antonio Teobaldo.
The opening will be on May 23, 2013, with works on stencil and also objetcts that deals with the Pop universe and provoke reflections on the consumerist society.
"Bazar" is an exhibition designed with this perspective to the gallery espace _L. Characters are associated with unusual situations of merchandising and logos of the fashion world are embedded in objects panned by the artist in the popular markets of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. This is a show that gives continuity to the Brazilian art production nowadays.
Known for creating images that are transgressive, Ozi produces his work with the same impact of a propaganda and his messages ironically reveal the social illness in which we are immersed.
His latest work is the mural "River Boy", measuring 18m X 9m, located in Cinelândia, Rio de Janeiro, and it pays a great tribute to this city.
The partnership between the artist and the curator began in 2010, and since then they have worked together on several projects, some of them linked to urban art, a manifestation that approaches the population to the art environment and promotes a variety of perspectives that concerns the culture and the city.
About the artist: Ozi started his activities in graffiti in 1985, encouraged and supported by two important artists: Alex Vallauri, forerunner of graffiti in Brazil and Mauricio Villaça. In 1978, when the graphic artist Alex Vallauri (1949-1987) made the streets of São Paulo, the most controversial environment to exhibit his work, the urban art has occupied increasingly great proportions in Brazil. Vallauri and Ozi were the pioneers of street art in Brazil, and they were later followed by other artists. However, from that time on, the scenario has changed, both in the profile of the artist Works on the street and in the type of work exhibited.
Ozi has actively participated in the Brazilian street art scene and presented his work in several exhibitions in Brazil and abroad, in galleries, museums, cultural institutions and outdoor spaces.
Note: About Alex Vallauri (data from wikipedia): Alex (Alessandro) Vallauri was born in Asmara, Ethiopia, on October 9, 1949, he moved to Brazil with his family in 1965 and died in São Paulo on March 27 1987.