James Harris Gallery | Efrain Almeida: "Sculpture"

Efrain Almeida: "Sculpture"

June 17, 2004—July 17, 2004 | Reception Thursday, June 17th, 6-8PM

James Harris Gallery is pleased to present the third solo exhibition of sculpture by Brazilian artist, Efrain Almeida. Using cedar, he hand-carves sculptures that are rooted in the traditional folk objects made by craftsmen in Northeastern Brazil. Drawing from the so called low-culture, Almeida is more interested in exploring form as a psychological symbol often imbuing the objects with an anthropomorphic presence.

Efrain Almeida is a sculptor using wood as well as bronze to create realistic sculptures that reference sexuality, religion, nature, humanity and personal identity on an intimate scale. He also uses the medium of watercolor to create works in conversation with his sculptural pieces. Almeida references his own history and memory of his home country of Brazil as well as the art historical canon. Almeida works on a small scale drawing the artist in and creating an intimate relationship between the viewer, the artwork, and the exhibition space. Almeida has had five solo exhibitions at James Harris Gallery, the latest show being “Trance” in 2017.

Almeida was born in the state of Ceará, in 1964. Currently, he lives and works in Rio de Janeiro. His most noteworthy exhibitions have included Marcas – a retrospective show concerning his work held in 2007 at Estaçăo Pinacoteca, in Săo Paulo – and his participation in the 2010 Bienal de Săo Paulo. His work figures in various public and private collections in Brazil and abroad, including those of the Museum of Modern Art, New York (USA), Museu de Arte Moderna de Săo Paulo, Săo Paulo (Brazil), Centro Galego de Arte Contemporânea, Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and Toyota Municipal Museum of Art (Japan).