Omar Salomão

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Years active

2007–2024

Genres

mpb, samba, experimental

Instruments

vocals, synthesizer

Biography

Omar Salomão is a multifaceted Brazilian artist whose work spans design, visual arts, writing, curation, and scenography. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he also spent part of his childhood in Bahia, a region that has influenced his artistic sensibilities. Salomão holds degrees in Journalism and Cinema from PUC-Rio, and further pursued his studies with master's degrees in Literature, Culture, and Contemporaneity (PUC-Rio) and Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University, where he is currently a PhD candidate focusing on the intersection of literature and contemporary art.

His career began with a strong connection to literature, working at the Aeroplano publishing house and later co-creating an exhibition on internet literature. This early engagement with books and text evolved into his visual art practice, which in turn led him to scenography. His work in theater and music design, creating posters and album covers, further solidified his diverse artistic profile. Salomão has authored four books, illustrated another, and organized several others, demonstrating a deep and consistent engagement with the written word as both content and object.

Salomão's artistic vision often explores themes of resistance, transformation, and identity, as seen in his book "Vinco," which delves into crossdressing and identity. His work as a designer, particularly book covers, reflects his belief in their power as the initial gateway to a text's mystery and allure. He has also been recognized for his curatorial work, including his role as the curatorial director of the Parque Cultural da Casa do Governador. His artistic journey is marked by a continuous exploration of the connections between different creative disciplines, always with a keen eye for the "small strangenesses" that shape our perception of the world, a concept he shares with the poet Manuel de Bandeira.