Following a series of meetings with our represented artists in their art studios, this time, Gabriel Secchin welcomed us in his space – on the rooftop of an old three-storey building, located on São Clemente Street, which spans over the Botafogo neighborhood in the south side of Rio de Janeiro.

We are immediately surprised by the view, which gives us two alternatives, thanks to the generous arrangement of a prominent balcony. On the left, a bit closer, the Sugarloaf Mountain appears majestic; on the right, a little further, in a “corner” perspective, is the Corcovado hill with the statue of Christ the Redeemer. The corridor formed by the street and by the prolonged buildings that impose themselves on the remains of colonial architecture ensures favourable winds and an extra refreshment for extremely hot weather.

Inside the studio, the paintings seem to regurgitate this iconic tropical setting and follow their internal rules. Gathered on the wall, they reveal a critical impetus or a willingness to comment on the state of affairs. The slowness of time caused by the pandemic in the last few months has allowed the artist to enjoy more his creations, which in a way has encouraged his willingness to find a “ground”. Landscapes and places have taken shape and expression.

New narratives have also been created through exercises of juxtaposition, from which unusual situations arise, as in a role-playing game. The use of the oil stick, in dialogue with a less calculated drawing, makes possible the error.

Among the highlights of this new body of work, there appears almost unwillingly – and at the limit between bursting and submerging – a familiar figure of “Brazilianness”, a concept that seems to live a certain trial (or purgation, for the most fatalistic people). In other paintings, violence manifests itself in different nuances – as a retaliation of nature, represented by a playful anthropomorphism; as a reactionary intolerance, indicated by the reenactment of exceptional judgments; or when the boundary between fetishism and mystification seems to blur.

In all of them, Secchin’s multi-referential universe unveils an atmosphere that seduces, both for the discomfort it causes and for the oddities that inhabit it. Take a breathe, allow yourself to feel comfortable and get involved.

Check the gallery below for some pictures of the visit.