Catharsis
Eduardo Secci is pleased to announce the group show involving Rafael Baron, Wonder Buhle Mbambo, Hamid Nii Nortey, Oliver Okolo, Evita Tezeno, in the Gallery space in Milan, in Via Olmetto on November 17, 2022. The exhibition curated byIkponmwosa Avan-Nomayo run until January 14, 2023.
“Catharsis” is traditionally characterized as the emotional discharge resulting from experiencing distressing feelings. Still, a broader understanding of catharsis is required to investigate it as a component of aesthetic systems. If you look attentively, you will notice that art and the concept of catharsis are inextricably linked” like says the Curator Ikponmwosa Avan-Nomayo.
The Group Show combines the works of five outstanding artists, from paintings to collages, to generate a melting pot of emotions and aesthetic expressions via art. The exhibition, communicate diverse sociological concerns and gains, and one pertinent issue these days is conflict and resolutions. Materiality gives artists the creative freedom to explore concepts and styles without worrying about academic correctness, trends or conventional image finishes.
In this new body of works, Raphael Baron mostly portray black people in situations of power, beauty, love, affection and high self-esteem, in a kind of playful way, in situations that art history has denied us. He present portraits of ordinary and working class people, people who are part of his social circle, who are part of the history and construction of my country and of the city where he was born and live, Nova Iguaçu, a peripheral city belonging to the Baixada Fluminense area, in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
Wonder Buhle Mbambo, intends his artistic practice as a space between his inner soul, his dreams and his identity. He communicates his views from where he is standing as a black youth in South African society and the world at large. South Africa is in a moment of self-realization; reflecting and embracing its cultural diversities, whilst rewriting its stories through the lenses of young people who are curious, like himself.
Hamid Nii Nortey, in his works are characterized by his signature cross hatching technique which he applies onto the skins of his figures. Contrasting the artist’s broad and smooth Impressionist colour palette, the close-knit parallel lines, varying in spacing and width, create a rough, loose organic texture, conveying the at once visual and tactile qualities of natural skin.
Oliver Okolo’s paintings and drawings often start from Western art-historical reference points, recasting works from Vermeer and Michelangelo with Black subjects. He refers to his practice as “classical contemporealism,” a term meant to reflect his blending of classical and contemporary styles.
Evita Tezeno’s collage paintings employ richly patterned hand-painted papers and found objects in a contemporary folk-art style. Her work depicts a cast of characters in harmonious everyday scenes inspired by her family and friends, childhood memories in South Texas, personal dreams and moments from her adult life — and influenced by the great 20th century modernists Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, and William H. Johnson —scenes of joy animate her vision of a Black America filled with humanity.
Eduardo Secci is pleased to announce the group show involving Rafael Baron, Wonder Buhle Mbambo, Hamid Nii Nortey, Oliver Okolo, Evita Tezeno, in the Gallery space in Milan, in Via Olmetto on November 17, 2022. The exhibition curated byIkponmwosa Avan-Nomayo run until January 14, 2023.
“Catharsis” is traditionally characterized as the emotional discharge resulting from experiencing distressing feelings. Still, a broader understanding of catharsis is required to investigate it as a component of aesthetic systems. If you look attentively, you will notice that art and the concept of catharsis are inextricably linked” like says the Curator Ikponmwosa Avan-Nomayo.
The Group Show combines the works of five outstanding artists, from paintings to collages, to generate a melting pot of emotions and aesthetic expressions via art. The exhibition, communicate diverse sociological concerns and gains, and one pertinent issue these days is conflict and resolutions. Materiality gives artists the creative freedom to explore concepts and styles without worrying about academic correctness, trends or conventional image finishes.
In this new body of works, Raphael Baron mostly portray black people in situations of power, beauty, love, affection and high self-esteem, in a kind of playful way, in situations that art history has denied us. He present portraits of ordinary and working class people, people who are part of his social circle, who are part of the history and construction of my country and of the city where he was born and live, Nova Iguaçu, a peripheral city belonging to the Baixada Fluminense area, in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
Wonder Buhle Mbambo, intends his artistic practice as a space between his inner soul, his dreams and his identity. He communicates his views from where he is standing as a black youth in South African society and the world at large. South Africa is in a moment of self-realization; reflecting and embracing its cultural diversities, whilst rewriting its stories through the lenses of young people who are curious, like himself.
Hamid Nii Nortey, in his works are characterized by his signature cross hatching technique which he applies onto the skins of his figures. Contrasting the artist’s broad and smooth Impressionist colour palette, the close-knit parallel lines, varying in spacing and width, create a rough, loose organic texture, conveying the at once visual and tactile qualities of natural skin.
Oliver Okolo’s paintings and drawings often start from Western art-historical reference points, recasting works from Vermeer and Michelangelo with Black subjects. He refers to his practice as “classical contemporealism,” a term meant to reflect his blending of classical and contemporary styles.
Evita Tezeno’s collage paintings employ richly patterned hand-painted papers and found objects in a contemporary folk-art style. Her work depicts a cast of characters in harmonious everyday scenes inspired by her family and friends, childhood memories in South Texas, personal dreams and moments from her adult life — and influenced by the great 20th century modernists Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, and William H. Johnson —scenes of joy animate her vision of a Black America filled with humanity.
Rafael Baron, Madonas II, 2022Acrylic on canvas
200 x 180 cm
78 3/4 x 70 7/8 in
Evita Tezeno, Sitting in Silence, 2022Acrylic and mixed media collage on canvas
121.9 x 91.4 cm
48 x 36 in
Wonder Buhle Mbambo, I own this, 2022Acrylic on stretched canvas
51 x 51 x 3 cm
20 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 1 1/8 in
Evita Tezeno, Under the Lavender Sky, 2022Acrylic and mixed media collage on canvas
121.9 x 91.4 cm
48 x 36 in
Evita Tezeno, Yesterday is gone Tomorrow has not yes come, 2022Acrylic and mixed media collage on canvas
121.9 x 91.4 cm
48 x 36 in
Evita Tezeno, Standing on the Promises, 2022Acrylic and mixed media collage on canvas
121.9 x 121.9 cm
48 x 48 in
Oliver Okolo, Untitled, 202261 x 65 cm
24 x 25 5/8 in
Hamid Nii Nortey, We are who we are ; our culture is our identity, 2022Acrylic on canvas
150 x 204 cm
59 x 80 1/4 in
Rafael Baron (1986 Nova Igaçu, Brazil) currently lives and works between Nova Igaçu and Rio de Janeiro.
Rafel Baron sees art as a powerful communication tool that can contribute to an harmonious social experience. His brightly colored portraits of diverse individuals propose an open dialogue on tolerance and diversity.
In his art practice, Rafael Baron develops studies and research of figurative painting, with an eye for contemporary poetics. His works starts from an examination of the human figure, by means of wich it detects the subjectivies of the personality of each individual, looking for singular characteristics in the process of creating their characters. In his research, he address problems of social preconception: racism, LGBTphobia, misogyny, etc.
Among his solo exhibitions: Portraits, Albertz Benda Gallery, New York 2022, Whish you where here, The Cabin, Los Angeles 202, Selfie, Portholes Vilaseca Gallery, Rio de Janeiro, 2021, Rafael Baron, Spectaculu, School of Art and Technology, Rio de Janeiro, 2021.
Among his group exhibitions: Nova Vanguardia Carioca, Curated by Gringo Cardia, City of Arts, 2022, Essa è minha letra, Lima Barreto and the Modernism Blacks, MUHCAB, Museum of History and Culture Afro-Brasileira, 2022, Just Breathe…. The 55 Project Pop Up, 2022, Cronicas Carioca, MAR, Museum of Art of Rio, Rio de Janeiro 2022, Roll with it, Scott Miller Gallery, Birmingham, 2022.
Rafael Baron (1986 Nova Igaçu, Brazil) currently lives and works between Nova Igaçu and Rio de Janeiro.
Rafel Baron sees art as a powerful communication tool that can contribute to an harmonious social experience. His brightly colored portraits of diverse individuals propose an open dialogue on tolerance and diversity.
In his art practice, Rafael Baron develops studies and research of figurative painting, with an eye for contemporary poetics. His works starts from an examination of the human figure, by means of wich it detects the subjectivies of the personality of each individual, looking for singular characteristics in the process of creating their characters. In his research, he address problems of social preconception: racism, LGBTphobia, misogyny, etc.
Among his solo exhibitions: Portraits, Albertz Benda Gallery, New York 2022, Whish you where here, The Cabin, Los Angeles 202, Selfie, Portholes Vilaseca Gallery, Rio de Janeiro, 2021, Rafael Baron, Spectaculu, School of Art and Technology, Rio de Janeiro, 2021.
Among his group exhibitions: Nova Vanguardia Carioca, Curated by Gringo Cardia, City of Arts, 2022, Essa è minha letra, Lima Barreto and the Modernism Blacks, MUHCAB, Museum of History and Culture Afro-Brasileira, 2022, Just Breathe…. The 55 Project Pop Up, 2022, Cronicas Carioca, MAR, Museum of Art of Rio, Rio de Janeiro 2022, Roll with it, Scott Miller Gallery, Birmingham, 2022.
Evita Tezeno (1960, Port Arthur, USA) is a Texas native, graduate in Graphic Design at the Lamar University. She lives and works in Dallas.
Tezeno’s collage paintings employ richly patterned hand-painted papers and found objects in a contemporary folk-art style. Her work depicts a cast of characters in harmonious everyday scenes inspired by her family and friends, childhood memories in South Texas, personal dreams, and moments from her adult life.
Recent solo exhibitions include Better Days (2021) at Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Evita Tezeno and Jas Mardis: Sharing Memories (2021) at ArtCentre of Plano, Plano, TX; Memories Create Our Yesterdays and Tomorrows (2019) at Thelma Harris Gallery, Oakland, CA; Memories That Speak To My Soul (2018) at Stella Jones Gallery, New Orleans, LA; and Thoughts of Time Gone By (2017) at Peg Alston Gallery, New York, NY.
Selected group exhibitions include Réinterprétation (2020) at C.O.A. Contemporary Art Gallery, Montreal, Canada; Phenomenal Women #UsToo (2019) at the African American Museum, Dallas, TX; Love in the Time of Hysteria (2019) at Prism Art Fair, Miami, FL; Flagrant Rules of Ensued Emancipation 2019 at John Milde Gallery, Dallas, TX; Modern Day Muse (2019) at ArtCenter of Plano, Plano, TX; Arts Past & Present (2018) at George Bush Library, Dallas, TX; Daughter of Diaspora – Women of Color Speak (2018) at Hearne Fine Art, Hot Springs, AR; and New Power Generation 2012, curated by Myrtis Bedolla at Hampton University Museum, Hampton, VA.
As the recipient of the prestigious Elizabeth Catlett Award for The New Power Generation, Tezeno has built a career as an acclaimed multi-disciplinary female artist. Her work is included in various permanent collections, as the African American Museum of Dallas and the Embassy of the Republic of Madagascar.
Evita Tezeno (1960, Port Arthur, USA) is a Texas native, graduate in Graphic Design at the Lamar University. She lives and works in Dallas.
Tezeno’s collage paintings employ richly patterned hand-painted papers and found objects in a contemporary folk-art style. Her work depicts a cast of characters in harmonious everyday scenes inspired by her family and friends, childhood memories in South Texas, personal dreams, and moments from her adult life.
Recent solo exhibitions include Better Days (2021) at Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Evita Tezeno and Jas Mardis: Sharing Memories (2021) at ArtCentre of Plano, Plano, TX; Memories Create Our Yesterdays and Tomorrows (2019) at Thelma Harris Gallery, Oakland, CA; Memories That Speak To My Soul (2018) at Stella Jones Gallery, New Orleans, LA; and Thoughts of Time Gone By (2017) at Peg Alston Gallery, New York, NY.
Selected group exhibitions include Réinterprétation (2020) at C.O.A. Contemporary Art Gallery, Montreal, Canada; Phenomenal Women #UsToo (2019) at the African American Museum, Dallas, TX; Love in the Time of Hysteria (2019) at Prism Art Fair, Miami, FL; Flagrant Rules of Ensued Emancipation 2019 at John Milde Gallery, Dallas, TX; Modern Day Muse (2019) at ArtCenter of Plano, Plano, TX; Arts Past & Present (2018) at George Bush Library, Dallas, TX; Daughter of Diaspora – Women of Color Speak (2018) at Hearne Fine Art, Hot Springs, AR; and New Power Generation 2012, curated by Myrtis Bedolla at Hampton University Museum, Hampton, VA.
As the recipient of the prestigious Elizabeth Catlett Award for The New Power Generation, Tezeno has built a career as an acclaimed multi-disciplinary female artist. Her work is included in various permanent collections, as the African American Museum of Dallas and the Embassy of the Republic of Madagascar.
WonderBuhle, born 1989 in South Africa, is a Durban-based visual artist from Kwa-Ngcolosi, a village that is still ruled by a chief. He started making art as a hobby at the age of nine. He says that his mother encouraged him to explore art as a career as he used to play with charcoal from the fire and draw stick figures on the walls of the house as a child.
WonderBuhle received his first formal training through the BAT Centre Artists in Residency (AIR) Program and went on to study fine art through the Velobala apprenticeship program at Durban University of Technology, under the mentorship of Themba Shibase.
The artist states: “I understand my artistic practice as a space between my inner soul, my dreams and my identity. I communicate my views from where I am standing as a black youth in South African society and the world at large. South Africa is in a moment of self-realization; reflecting and embracing its cultural diversities, whilst rewriting its stories through the lenses of young people who are curious, like myself.”
WonderBuhle had his first solo exhibition at the Durban Art Gallery in 2018 and has been included in numerous group shows at Unit, (London, 2020); The Art House (Wakefield, 2018); Michaelis Gallery (Cape Town, 2017); KZNSA (Durban, 2015) and the African Art Centre (Durban, 2014). In 2016, he was the recipient of Bremer Kunststipendium Art Grant (three-month residency) and in 2020; he took part in the La Brea Studio Artists Residency in L.A.
WonderBuhle, born 1989 in South Africa, is a Durban-based visual artist from Kwa-Ngcolosi, a village that is still ruled by a chief. He started making art as a hobby at the age of nine. He says that his mother encouraged him to explore art as a career as he used to play with charcoal from the fire and draw stick figures on the walls of the house as a child.
WonderBuhle received his first formal training through the BAT Centre Artists in Residency (AIR) Program and went on to study fine art through the Velobala apprenticeship program at Durban University of Technology, under the mentorship of Themba Shibase.
The artist states: “I understand my artistic practice as a space between my inner soul, my dreams and my identity. I communicate my views from where I am standing as a black youth in South African society and the world at large. South Africa is in a moment of self-realization; reflecting and embracing its cultural diversities, whilst rewriting its stories through the lenses of young people who are curious, like myself.”
WonderBuhle had his first solo exhibition at the Durban Art Gallery in 2018 and has been included in numerous group shows at Unit, (London, 2020); The Art House (Wakefield, 2018); Michaelis Gallery (Cape Town, 2017); KZNSA (Durban, 2015) and the African Art Centre (Durban, 2014). In 2016, he was the recipient of Bremer Kunststipendium Art Grant (three-month residency) and in 2020; he took part in the La Brea Studio Artists Residency in L.A.
Oliver Okolo is a Nigerian artist who was born in 1992 in Suleja and now lives and works in Abuja; He has emerged as one of the most exciting artists working out of Ni- geria today and is a central figure in a new vanguard whose portrayal of Black people in confident and assertive gaze, challen- ges and dismantles negative racial con- structs and knowledge systems. He gra- duates at Caritas University Enugu, where he studied human resource management; His search for a more creative atmosphere that would satisfy his artistic desires and growth is ever driven by his passion for art. Intrigued by the mysteries of the human figure as a unique work of nature, he uses it to create works that speak to subjects he feels are neglected or not spoken about in Nigeria.
He uses oil paint and charcoal and em- ploys techniques of collage in his portraits. He uses charcoal and paint to capture the subjects of his striking portraits. In 2016, he studied under and worked in the studio of artist Clement Nwafor, using the oppor- tunity to hone his craft. Okolo’s paintings and drawings often start from Western art-historical reference points, recasting works from Vermeer and Michelangelo wi- th Black subjects. He refers to his practice as “classical contemporealism,” a term meant to reflect his blending of classical and contemporary styles.
He took part in both solo exhibitions and groups exhibitions such as “Oliver Okolo – I forgot to tell you, now listen”, in Accra in 2021, “Stop, listen.” in Sweden in 2021 and “Shades, exhibition of drawings” in 2018.
Oliver Okolo is a Nigerian artist who was born in 1992 in Suleja and now lives and works in Abuja; He has emerged as one of the most exciting artists working out of Ni- geria today and is a central figure in a new vanguard whose portrayal of Black people in confident and assertive gaze, challen- ges and dismantles negative racial con- structs and knowledge systems. He gra- duates at Caritas University Enugu, where he studied human resource management; His search for a more creative atmosphere that would satisfy his artistic desires and growth is ever driven by his passion for art. Intrigued by the mysteries of the human figure as a unique work of nature, he uses it to create works that speak to subjects he feels are neglected or not spoken about in Nigeria.
He uses oil paint and charcoal and em- ploys techniques of collage in his portraits. He uses charcoal and paint to capture the subjects of his striking portraits. In 2016, he studied under and worked in the studio of artist Clement Nwafor, using the oppor- tunity to hone his craft. Okolo’s paintings and drawings often start from Western art-historical reference points, recasting works from Vermeer and Michelangelo wi- th Black subjects. He refers to his practice as “classical contemporealism,” a term meant to reflect his blending of classical and contemporary styles.
He took part in both solo exhibitions and groups exhibitions such as “Oliver Okolo – I forgot to tell you, now listen”, in Accra in 2021, “Stop, listen.” in Sweden in 2021 and “Shades, exhibition of drawings” in 2018.
Hamid Nii Nortey (Accra, 1987) is a self-taught artist based in Accra, Ghana.
Nortey developed his interest in painting as a pupil in Mandla Dada basic school in Accra, and stood witness to the city’s considerable transformation from then on.
His compelling and colorful figurative paintings delve into Ghana and the continents fast evolving social landscape shedding a light onto its diverse social classes, as well as the resulting generational developments.
Nortey’s works are characterized by his signature cross hatching technique which he applies onto the skins of his figures. Contrasting the artist’s broad and smooth Impressionist colour palette, from sienna brown to burnt sienna, the close-knit parallel lines, varying in spacing and width, create a rough, loose organic texture, conveying the at once visual and tactile qualities of natural skin.
Starting from meticulous and playful sketches, his portraits grow into lifelike, and lively, visual impressions. He reflects upon his engagement with architectural structures to create sceneries of different composition, modern home decor and different image perspectives that resonate and compel his viewers to be physically and emotionally invested in the subjects story.
Among the solo shows in wich his works have been exhibited: Faith Strangers, Galerie Lisa Kandlhofer, Wien, 2022; For My Sisters, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town, 2022.
Among his group exhibitions: Emergence, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town, 2022; Summer Collection, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town, 2021.
Hamid Nii Nortey (Accra, 1987) is a self-taught artist based in Accra, Ghana.
Nortey developed his interest in painting as a pupil in Mandla Dada basic school in Accra, and stood witness to the city’s considerable transformation from then on.
His compelling and colorful figurative paintings delve into Ghana and the continents fast evolving social landscape shedding a light onto its diverse social classes, as well as the resulting generational developments.
Nortey’s works are characterized by his signature cross hatching technique which he applies onto the skins of his figures. Contrasting the artist’s broad and smooth Impressionist colour palette, from sienna brown to burnt sienna, the close-knit parallel lines, varying in spacing and width, create a rough, loose organic texture, conveying the at once visual and tactile qualities of natural skin.
Starting from meticulous and playful sketches, his portraits grow into lifelike, and lively, visual impressions. He reflects upon his engagement with architectural structures to create sceneries of different composition, modern home decor and different image perspectives that resonate and compel his viewers to be physically and emotionally invested in the subjects story.
Among the solo shows in wich his works have been exhibited: Faith Strangers, Galerie Lisa Kandlhofer, Wien, 2022; For My Sisters, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town, 2022.
Among his group exhibitions: Emergence, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town, 2022; Summer Collection, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town, 2021.
- Mateusz Choróbski
- Sebastiano Sofia
- David Schnell
