Claudio Ethos
Brasilien
Selected artworks
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Deadmocracy: in this coined word, "dead" and "democracy" merge. Claudio Ethos uses it to describe a feeling that is growing behind the economic processes in South American countries, but also worldwide. This development pushes people into extreme situations of social coexistence.PandemoniumIn the resulting pandemonium, the fragility of the democratic framework is revealed. Struggle, violence, extremism, isolation and other dynamic processes lead to a mutation of the rhythm of life. Claudio Ethos traces these changes in his works on canvas and paper, which come to us directly from São Paulo, Brazil's cultural capital.An Encounter in MunichI first met Claudio Ethos in 2010 at the second STROKE Art Fair in Munich. He was painting a large mural there, and his visual world immediately held a magical fascination for me. I had never seen such an interplay of stylistic devices, and that evening I struck up a conversation with him. A short chat grew into a friendship and the idea of one day showing his work at Pretty Portal. Seven years later, this idea is now becoming reality: Claudio Ethos is coming to Germany at the end of August and will open his first solo exhibition in Germany at Pretty Portal on 15 September.About the ArtistClaudio Ethos was born Claudio Rafael Ethos in São Paulo in 1982. Growing up in the city's favelas, he was surrounded by pichação, São Paulo's distinctive style of tagging. Influenced by it, he began painting graffiti at the age of 15. He later studied visual arts for two years, but dropped out because he was drawn out into the world. On his travels, he took part in numerous urban art festivals, painted a considerable number of murals around the world and steadily developed his visual language.In his works, the Brazilian artist explores the complex interplay between the individual and society. His observations of the individual within different social processes have continually fed into his artistic ideas and today form the foundation of his unmistakable expression. At the same time, he seeks to explore the spiritual side of the world around him. His surreal-looking images, in which the figurative mingles with the abstract, captivate with their great intensity and monochrome palette. Through his figures, he captures different emotional and spiritual states.Ethos usually first records his ideas in a sketchbook with a ballpoint pen: everyday scenes and observations of public life and his surroundings. From these sketches, he develops the compositions for his canvases and murals. His expressive figures fight their individual battles in city-like, abstract landscapes, telling stories rooted in the artist's experiences, dreams and memories.Ethos was influenced by renowned Brazilian artists such as Os Gêmeos, Vitché, Onesto and Herbert Baglione. Yet his style has developed into something entirely his own, highly individual and unmistakable. His murals helped prompt many established contemporary South American artists to take a fresh look at Brazil's still young urban art scene. Ethos has exhibited in Italy, France, the Netherlands, Austria, the USA and Paraguay, among other countries, and currently lives between São Paulo and Los Angeles.DEADMOCRACY An exhibition by Claudio EthosOpening Friday, 15 September 2017, 7 – 10 pmExhibition 15 September – 20 October 2017 Monday – Friday, 11 am – 7 pm and by appointmentPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf