Reflections on controversial themes that are so relevant to today’s world, such as colonialism, democracy, post-truth and the role of psychoactive plants in contemporary society, drive Stephan Doitschinoff’s work. An energetic artist, he structures his work in a system of authorial symbols with a singular narrative, with drawings, paintings, sculptures, videos and installations.
The artist is now opening the doors to his oneiric universe and inviting the public to enter them through the exhibition Estaremos Aqui Para Sempre (We Will Be Here Forever), a solo show opening on August 14 at Janaina Torres Galeria.
Curated by Daniel Rangel, the show brings together an unprecedented set of works produced by Doitschinoff over the last five years. The works show his intense research into contemporary society, based on icons and authorial symbols, as well as elements from various cultures and religions, such as Catholicism, Umbanda and Shamanism.
“It’s a work with surrealist influences, a visual writing loaded with information encrypted by a fantastic imaginary literature about contemporaneity,” says the curator, who will be chatting with the artist on August 31, from 4pm to 6pm, at the gallery.
Interventu: from Ireland to Brazil
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the installation Interventu (2017), a work commissioned by Rachel Thomas, curator of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), where the artist was invited to do a two-month residency.
The title and concept of the work stem from Stephan’s research into votive practice and the various types of ex-votos, objects offered to saints and deities in exchange for a grace. The artist used original ex-votos from Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, and other objects related to this practice, to create a large altar.
Part of the installation that made up the original exhibition can now be seen in Brazil, at Janaina Torres Galeria. This is the case of Palma Votiva (Votive Palm), a giant ex-voto built by the artist to allude to the hand of the divinity that descends from heaven, opening up reality, ready to intervene for its faithful.
The work is materialized with a suspended hand made of brass and pieces sculpted by repining, casting, cutting and soldering. In its palm are embedded 18 recurring symbols in Doitschinoff’s work, almost all of which are his own work, such as the Scythe with Moth, the Crowned Intestine and the Ladder with Crooked Steps.
The series of paraffin sculptures of ex-votos make up the new part of this exhibition. Among the pieces, visitors will be able to see the books in which images of psychoactive substances such as ayahuasca, the Psilocibe cubensis mushroom, the Peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) and the Morning Glory plant (Ipomoea) have been carved in relief. “Plants, fungi, plant and animal extracts with psychoactive properties are deeply rooted in the spiritual and medicinal practices and rites of passage of native peoples who had their population and culture marginalized, giving way to the law, culture and tradition of the conqueror,” says Doitschinoff.
The video performance Marcha ao Cvlto do Fvtvrv (2018), created for the exhibition Above, So Below: Portals, Visions, Spirits & Mystics, commissioned by IMMA, features special guest appearances by Iggor Cavalera (Sepultura, Cavalera Conspiracy, Mixhell), Laima Leyton (Mixhell, Soulwax), Donna McCabe (A Ritual Sea) and the Dublin samba school Masamba.
The video is part of Fvtvrv’s Cvlto series, a multimedia work in the format of a “church-sect” with many of its possible audio-visual elements: anthropomorphic icons of deities, manifestations, hymns, publications, uniforms, medals, ID cards, membership desk and volunteering.
The exhibition also features four drawings, including Três Mundos (110cm x 75cm, 2019) and O Homem Apropriado (110cm x 75cm, 2019) and four paintings, with the highlight being the canvas As Virtudes da Idolatria (230cm x 194cm, 2018), in which the bodies and hair of human figures form a geometric structure, like a kind of mandala or star, alluding to the symbol of the Cvlto do Fvtvrv.
The work features symbols, icons and recurring references in the artist’s work, such as candles and offerings, which refer to research into the ways in which people try to communicate or access other dimensions and the spirit world. Another highlight, Panoptic Wave (230cm x 180cm, 2017), has a composition inspired by the series of symbols and icons created by the artist for the installation 3 Planets – Panoptic Wave, developed in partnership with the educational program of the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art.
Stephan Doitschinoff – We Will Be Here Forever
Opening: August 14, Wednesday, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Exhibition period: August 15 to October 5, 2019
Talk with the curator and the artist at the gallery: Saturday, August 31, from 4pm to 6pm
