Portas Vilaseca is pleased to celebrate the participation of Brazilian artist Ayrson Heráclito (b.1968, Bahia) in the Biennale Arte 2026, one of the world’s leading exhibitions of contemporary art, on view from 9 May to 22 November in Venice, Italy.

Over the past 35 years, Heráclito has developed a singular and compelling practice that forges connections between Brazil, Africa, and the African diaspora across the Americas. His work draws upon ancestral knowledge, spiritual cosmologies, and the invisible forces that shape collective memory and contemporary life.

Internationally recognized for his profound engagement with Afro-Brazilian cultural matrices and their global reverberations, Heráclito returns to Venice after participating in the 57th International Art Exhibition in 2017. His inclusion in the Biennale Arte 2026 reaffirms the vitality and relevance of his trajectory and represents a significant milestone for Brazilian contemporary art on the global stage.

Heráclito’s work has been exhibited at leading institutions worldwide and is included in major public collections, such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Fundación TBA21, MASP – Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, and Inhotim, among others.

Congratulations, Ayrson!