With around 30 works, including unpublished and recent pieces, Ojú-Inú, by Ayrson Heráclito, occupies Galeria Simões de Assis, in São Paulo, until September traduzido por: OPENROUTER
Submitted at Aug 6, 2026, 4:00 PM
Ayrson Heráclito apresenta cerca de 30 obras inéditas e recentes na exposição Ojú-Inú, em cartaz na Galeria Simões de Assis. (Simões de Assis/Divulgação)
The work of Ayrson Heráclito, one of the leading names in Brazilian contemporary art, gains a new chapter in São Paulo with the exhibition Ojú-Inú, on view at Galeria Simões de Assis from August 8 to September 12. Bringing together around 30 works including sculptures, watercolors, photographs, and videos — with previously unseen pieces —, the show invites the public to dive into the artist's research on Afro-Brazilian cosmologies, ancestry, and spirituality.
Esculturas, aquarelas, fotografias e vídeos compõem Ojú-Inú, nova exposição de Ayrson Heráclito em São Paulo. (Simões de Assis/Divulgação)
With a critical text by anthropologist and curator Hélio Menezes, the exhibition takes place alongside Heráclito's participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, reinforcing the international recognition of his work.
The title of the show, Ojú-Inú, comes from Yoruba and means "inner eye". The expression, used by art historian Rowland Abiodun, describes an aesthetic and spiritual perception capable of revealing the essence and vital force present in people, objects, and events.
A mostra Ojú-Inú convida o público a mergulhar na cosmologia afro-brasileira por meio da obra de Ayrson Heráclito. (Simões de Assis/Divulgação)
This idea runs through the entire exhibition, which offers a sensitive reading of Ayrson Heráclito's work through references to Afro-Brazilian traditions, especially Candomblé. The result is a set of works that dialogues with ancestry, identity, territory, and spirituality, central elements in his artistic trajectory.
The exhibition presents an overview of the artist's recent production, bringing together different languages and media. Highlights include the Juntó series, composed of previously unseen sculptures and watercolors, along with works such as Inventário, Black Atlantic, Espada de Ogum, Marcas de identificação em caixas de açúcar da Frota de 1702, and Oríkìs de Instrução, presented in photographs and videos, with a room dedicated exclusively to the audiovisual installation.
Entre as obras inéditas da mostra, as esculturas da série Juntó revelam um novo momento da produção de Ayrson Heráclito. (Simões de Assis/Divulgação)
Throughout the journey, the body remains a central element of Heráclito's research. Objects, materials, and symbols connected to Candomblé rituals appear as instruments to reflect on the connections between Africa and the Black diasporas in the Americas, proposing a critical revision of colonial history and its unfoldings in the present.
Born in Macaúbas (BA) in 1968, Ayrson Heráclito is an artist, professor, and curator. He holds a PhD in Communication and Semiotics from PUC-SP and a master's degree in Visual Arts from UFBA, and has built a career marked by installations, performances, photographs, and videos that investigate Afro-Brazilian heritage and the historical impacts of the transatlantic trade of enslaved people.
A nova individual de Ayrson Heráclito ocupa a Galeria Simões de Assis com obras inéditas e séries marcantes de sua trajetória. (Simões de Assis/Divulgação)
Among his best-known research projects are Transmutação da Carne, begun in 1994 based on historical documents about violence on sugar mills, and Sacudimentos, a series presented at the 57th Venice Biennale that relates cleansing rituals performed on Gorée Island, in Senegal, and in old Brazilian sugar mills.
O corpo é um dos principais elementos da pesquisa de Ayrson Heráclito, presente em obras que investigam memória, identidade e história. (Simões de Assis/Divulgação)
In recent years, Heráclito has taken part in important international exhibitions, such as the 35th São Paulo Biennial, the 16th Sharjah Biennial, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the 61st Venice Biennale, consolidating his production as one of the most relevant in Brazilian contemporary art.
Enquanto apresenta Ojú-Inú em São Paulo, Ayrson Heráclito também integra a 61ª Exposição Internacional de Arte da Bienal de Veneza. (Simões de Assis/Divulgação)
The exhibition features a critical text by Hélio Menezes, anthropologist, curator, and current artistic director of the Museu Afro Brasil Emanoel Araujo. Recognized for his research on art, Afro-Atlantic culture, and colonialism, Menezes was one of the curators of the 35th São Paulo Biennial and signed exhibitions such as Afro-Atlantic Histories, at MASP, in addition to projects dedicated to Rubem Valentim and Carolina Maria de Jesus. His reading proposes a deeper exploration of the issues present in Heráclito's production, showing how art can function as a space of memory, resistance, and historical elaboration.
Period: August 8 to September 12, 2026
Opening: August 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Venue: Simões de Assis Gallery Alameda Lorena, 2050 A – Jardins, São Paulo (SP)
Hours: Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Admission: free
traduzido por: OPENROUTER
