Efrain Almeida "The Head Dreamer"

March 3, 2011—April 2, 2011 | Reception Thursday, March 3rd, 6-8PM

James Harris Gallery is pleased to present the fourth solo exhibition by Brazilian artist Efrain Almeida. Using cedar and umburana woods, he hand-carves sculptures rooted in the traditional folk objects made by craftsmen in Northeastern Brazil. Almeida is interested in exploring form as a psychological symbol. The artist’s iconography and materials suggest an underlying theme of fragility of the body on its journey through life. The sculptures lyrically explore issues of sexuality, religion, nature, humanity and personal identity. All his works are in a sense a self-portrait that transcends from a personal experience to a universal one.

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"Bird's Nest" 2011
"The Dreamer" 2011
"Eyes" 2011
"Eyeglasses" 2011
"The Dreamer" 2011

Efrain Almeida

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).