There is a ton of great openings and showings in and around Art Basel week in Hong Kong right now, and one of the biggest highlights for us was the opening of OSGEMEOS's new solo show, Déjà Vu, which kicked off the week at Lehmann Maupin. The twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo's newest work featured a new series of paintings and a sound installation in their signature and unique style that has captured the attention of an international audience that exceeds their already legendary and famed graffiti career.
As always, OSGEMEOS's work is some of the most unique in contemporary art, whether it be on the street, on a massive mural or in a gallery setting. Their use of color, symbolism, hip-hop and graffiti cultures and sound both capture their home of Brazil but also remix just how influential graffiti culture has been the world over. As the gallery notes, "Déjà Vu extends OSGEMEOS’ approach to their exhibitions as an immersive, multi-sensory experience, as exemplified in their many international institutional shows. The exhibition pays tribute to music in particular with their mixed media sound installation, White Carnival (2016), where the artists have painted their characters directly onto speakers in a formation that resembles a choir. More traditional paintings from a recent series of work pays homage to the late 1970s and early 1980s, the period which represents a coming of age for the artists. This era, considered the golden age of hip-hop, is intrinsically linked to their practice with comparisons evident in the bravado, improvisational structure, and descriptions of everyday life on the streets."
What's amazing about their output at this stage of their career is that the twins can translate the detail of these paintings onto a mural 5-stories tall, but also translate that size to back to a wonderfully intricate work on canvas. They seem to be at the height of their powers at the moment, as both artists of immersive worlds and ambassadors of the international growth of graffiti and hip-hop. Their vision is always unique, and always perfectly of the moment.
OSGEMEOS Déjà Vu will be on view in Hong Kong through May 12, 2018.
All photography by @sashabogojev