Positioned on the threshold between figuration and abstraction, the paintings in this exhibition
reflect the artist’s freedom and maturity. Having gradually moved away from the technical
virtuosity of figurative painting, Carneiro is now working with a material-based approach,
guided by a sensitive process that intersects with the research and production of materials
developed by Joules & Joules – the factory he co-founded with Bruno Dunley in 2020. This
focused and painstaking research into refining materials has guided the evolution of Carneiro’s
artistic practice. This marks a shift from his earlier investigations, which sought to suppress
material presence in favor of exploring the ambiguity of images across various visual languages
– ranging from paintings based on footage from NASA’s CCTV cameras early in his career to
later works drawing on imagery from books and magazines.
While traces of figurative construction remain in this new body of work, what stands out is a
careful focus on the properties and variations of the materials used – such as the interplay of
color, density, and texture – achieved through oil sticks, acrylic paint, pigments, and oils, all
made with specific natural elements like Brazilian earth and minerals.
