Rafael Silveira has dreamed up a universe in which the strange and absurd appear commonplace. Inspired by his home country of Brazil, where he says "beauty and dangers reveal themselves in strange, random, and haphazard ways," the artist has recreated scenes from a world of his imagination, and now you're invited to take a stroll through the topsy-turvy land. This Saturday, Jonathan LeVine Gallery will open "Unforeseeable" Silveira's debut solo exhibition in New York.
His paintings provide a look into Silveira's fanciful mind, one which has been influenced by all the comics he read as a child. Although his works have a timeless, vintage feel to them—much of them seem to depict familiar imagery, such as women, tattoos, skulls—they also portray curious moments that could have only occurred in our dreams. One of his paintings, for example, show ha woman standing tall and grasping the hands of two children with popsicles and ice cream cones for heads. In another, Silveira has made an unconventional portrait of a mustached man, whose forehead has been swapped for a bright red convertible, driven by a frolicking skeleton.
Silveira's paintings are strange as much they are delightful, but the artist doesn't just paint. A distinctive feature of Silveira's work is that he also designs custom frames to complement his surreal illustrations. He envisions and draws up the custom frame designs, which are then carved by traditional master craftsmen.
Don't miss out on "Unforeseeable," which opens this Saturday, June 28 and will be on view through July 26 at Jonathan LeVine Gallery. It's definitely a show worth checking out.
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