Group Show at HOA Gallery, São Paulo, Brazil

Artists in the show: Alberto Pitta, Almeida da Silva, Amorí, Aun Helden, Babi Mello, Bertô, biarritzzz, Boni Gattai (estilara), Brendy Xavier, Bruna Kury, Caio Rosa, Caroline Ricca Lee, Crislaine Tavares, Gabriel Massan, George Teles, Igi Lola Ayedun, Irmãs de Pau, José Adário (Zé Diabo), Kelton Campos Fausto, Kulumym-Açu, Laís Amaral, Manauara Clandestina, Mariana Rocha, Marlon Amaro, Mayara Velozo, Mestre Didi, Micaela Cyrino, M0XC4, Rainha F., Rafaela Kennedy, Renan Aguena, Samara Paiva, Samuel Alves de Jesus, Sidney Amaral, Wisrah Villefort, Zumví Arquivo Fotográfico Heading into its third year of activities, HOA Galeria inaugurates a new exhibition space in the center of São Paulo. Founded in 2020 by the artist Igi Lola Ayedun, HOA - the first black-ownedgallery in the history of Brazilian art, opens to the public the doors of its new exhibition space in the central region of São Paulo in February. Located between the neighborhoods of Santa Cecília and Barra Funda, with 940m2 divided between two floors, the new gallery headquarters intends to host several contemporary art programs such as exhibitions, performances, meetings, courses, seminars, publication launches and cultural activities focused on the production of artists from the global majority and/or part of LGBTQIA+ communities through a decolonial perspective. “Since the foundation of HOA, I feel that we are building a new step each year with a lot of international visibility, but being able to consolidate a structure in Brazil capable of relating directly with the public in an independent way is one of our greatest victories in this path.” , says Igi Lola Ayedun — owner/CEO of the organization — when asked about the importance of this inauguration for her home country. Over these three years HOA has built commercial and institutional support around the world, accounting for exhibitions, projects and partnerships in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Marrakech, Madrid and Milan. Space activations will happen monthly, presenting the works of represented artists, residents and guests with a focus on intercontinental connections. “It is very important to build cultural dialogues with artists from Africa, Asia and other Latin American countries so that we can transform these exhibitions into something accessible to young people from all over São Paulo's outskirts. Then we can not only inspire, but also participate in the construction of the critical thinking of the next generations of young people who identify with these narratives.”, is what Lucas Andrade — actor, filmmaker and artistic director of HOA advocates. For the opening month, with the support of Soho House Global and Beck’s, the gallery presents its program with the group exhibition “From flying to breathing nostrils, wide arms, messages to the wind.” curated by Guilherme Teixeira and Nathalia Grilo, whose title revisits the first HOA presentation that took place at SP-Arte Online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibition is dedicated to the manifesto of a decolonial perspective in contemporary art that permeates identity to discuss possibilities of existence, building a look at radical culture in the local scenario, expanding territories that cross its subjectivities. Bringing together works by artists who weave experiences through abstract and figurative works that explore ancestry, present and future through the works of 30 artists from the southeast, midwest, north and northeast regions of Brazil. Less than a hundred meters from Minhocão, the center of São Paulo gains yet another center of cultural initiatives for a more honest, more inclusive and diverse future.