Beatriz Milhazes: Maresias

27 May-10 Sep 2023

Overview

Turner Contemporary is pleased to present Beatriz Milhazes: Maresias, a survey of the work of Beatriz Milhazes, widely recognised as one of the leading abstract artists working today.

Beatriz Milhazes (b.1960, Rio de Janeiro) is widely recognised as one of the leading abstract artists working today.

Maresias, Milhazes’ first UK solo institutional exhibition in over two decades, will bring together 20 key paintings and 5 works on paper from 1989 to more recent years to trace the evolution of Milhazes’ artistic approach over the past four decades. A major installation will also be presented in the Sunley Gallery Window.

Milhazes emerged in the 1980s as a leading figure in the important Brazilian art movement Geração Oitenta (1980s Generation), which moved away from the austere conceptual art of the previous decade and embraced painting as a form of energy and expression. Today, Milhazes is known for intensely colourful, large-scale abstract canvases which present energetic contradictions: from the tension between carefully planned construction and appearance of spontaneity, to slick surfaces that belie tiny cracks and layers.

Nature is an enduring and increasingly important theme in Milhazes’ work. Encouraging us to reflect on our own relationship with the environment, Maresias will speak to Turner Contemporary’s unique coastal location and the new strand of the gallery’s programme dedicated to contemporary ecological issues.

Artists