Marcos Chaves

Marcos Chaves (Brazil, 1961) is a Brazilian visual artist who began his career in the 1980s. His work primarily involves photography, but he also creates videos, installations, public space artworks, and sculptures. Chaves has participated in significant exhibitions such as the 1st and 5th Mercosul Biennial, the 25th São Paulo Biennial, and the 54th Venice Biennale, along with various shows in South America, North America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa. His works are part of prestigious collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro (MAM) and the Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Italy, as well as numerous private collections. He has been awarded multiple times, including at the IV MAM Bahia Salon and the Espírito Santo Investment Award.

Photography is the cornerstone of Chaves' work, which transforms everyday situations into improbable scenes, finding beauty and humor in mundane moments. For instance, in the "Buracos" series, he photographs large potholes in poorly maintained streets, while in the "Retratos" series, he captures brooms leaning against walls, giving them human expressions. The city of Rio de Janeiro is a recurring theme in his work, explored in pieces like "Eu só vendo a vista," "Mar Ave Ilha," and the "Pieces" series, where he addresses the landscape and iconic landmarks such as Sugarloaf Mountain. His work is infused with humor, irony, and creative wordplay, resulting in visual poetry.

According to Simon Kirby, writing about Chaves' latest solo exhibition, his work is related to the dynamics of positioning elements in space. Kirby notes that, in the "Pieces" works, "inverse perspectives push the foreground away and bring distant objects to the front. His multiple viewpoints invite us to shift our visual position and create our own narratives."

Sources:
Text: Blombô research and curation, with the support of artificial intelligence for content writing and structuring.