Rafael Carneiro

Origin

São Paulo, SP

Years Active

2006–present

Genres

painting, visual arts

Biography

Rafael Carneiro is a Brazilian visual artist born in São Paulo in 1985. Graduated in Fine Arts from the University of São Paulo (USP) in 2006, his work stands out for exploring painting with an approach bordering on photorealism, using photographs as a starting point for reflections on the ephemeral nature of contemporary images.

Throughout his career, Carneiro has investigated the transposition of images from the collective imagination and visual culture onto the pictorial support. His canvases frequently feature impressive technical virtuosity, combined with a deep reflection on ephemeral video images and their possible displacements into painting. Recently, the artist has explored more abstract works, focusing on the materiality of paint and on pigments that he develops himself.

He is one of the founders of Joules & Joules, a handmade oil paint brand whose pigments and textures directly influence his creations. This immersion in the chemistry of colors imparts a unique granularity and materiality to his recent canvases. Carneiro has held several solo and group exhibitions in galleries and institutions in Brazil and abroad, establishing himself as a relevant name in the contemporary Brazilian art scene.