Brasil! Brasil! – From Modernist Pioneers to Streetwise Expression: The Ever-Evolving Pulse of Brazilian Art

Image from the Royal Academy of Arts Facebook page.

At the Royal Academy of Arts this spring, Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism offered a compelling and necessary lens into the spirited, syncretic birth of Brazilian modernism. The exhibition explored how, in the early twentieth century, Brazilian artists responded to the nation’s complex identity—an amalgam of European, Indigenous, and African heritages—by crafting a uniquely Brazilian visual language. This modernist movement was not merely an aesthetic shift, but a socio-political declaration: to define Brazil not as a mirror of European culture, but as a confident, independent contributor to global modernity.

The show traced the emergence of Brazil’s avant-garde in the 1920s, from the Manifesto Antropófago (Cannibalist Manifesto) to the colourful experiments of Tarsila do Amaral and Anita Malfatti. These artists championed a ‘cultural cannibalism’, devouring European influences to produce something distinctly Brazilian. But while Brasil! Brasil! revelled in this bold, foundational period, the exhibition's subtext hinted at a larger story—one that surged forward into the late twentieth century, particularly into the explosive artistic transformations of São Paulo in the 1990s.

São Paulo in the 1990s: A City in Flux

The 1990s in Brazil marked a moment of profound political, economic, and cultural transformation. After decades of dictatorship, the country was finally embracing democratic reform. Neoliberal economic policies, globalisation, and a sense of post-authoritarian freedom created fertile ground for experimentation—and nowhere was this more visible than in São Paulo’s art scene.

Once confined to gallery interiors, art now spilled into the streets. São Paulo became a canvas. Graffiti and murals flourished in a way that blended street culture with high-concept art. This was not mere rebellion—it was an assertion of presence, a reclaiming of public space by a new generation of artists. As Young Pioneer Tours has observed, São Paulo became a “major centre for street art,” known internationally for its fusion of urban aesthetics with layered political and cultural messaging.

The walls of the city—often grey, brutalist backdrops—became saturated with colour, text, figures, and ideologies. These interventions referenced poverty, race, environment, corruption, and the contradictions of a fast-globalising economy. Artists moved between the street and the studio, with many gaining gallery representation while continuing to work publicly.

Posters as Public Voice: The Role of Graphic Design

Alongside the transformation of São Paulo’s visual culture came a crucial yet sometimes overlooked form of artistic expression—poster design. Long before social media, the poster was how ideas travelled, movements gathered momentum, and exhibitions found their public.

In Brazil, poster art has been a vital tool of communication and resistance. From the avant-garde covers of Revista de Antropofagia in the 1920s to the revolutionary posters of the Tropicália movement in the 1960s, and onward into the political placards and gig posters of the 1990s, graphic design has always played a frontline role in shaping Brazilian cultural identity.

The bold typography, vibrant colours, and layered symbolism of Brazilian posters made them more than just marketing tools—they were works of art in themselves. In the 1990s, as contemporary art surged, so did a new generation of designers who saw no boundary between print and politics. These posters not only brought attention to exhibitions and artists, but also carried the visual energy of the street into galleries, fairs, and festivals.

A New Art Infrastructure

Supporting this wave was a parallel development: the emergence of new galleries that refused the conservative boundaries of Brazil’s traditional art world. Galeria Vermelho, Galeria Leme, and Mendes Wood DM—founded during or just after this transformative decade—became not just exhibition spaces but incubators of critical discourse and international exchange. These institutions championed experimental work and gave space to voices previously marginalised in Brazil’s artistic hierarchy.

Their emergence coincided with the growth of Brazil’s contemporary art market. As Ocula reported, the 1990s saw increasing interest from collectors, both local and international. Brazil’s economic opening encouraged cultural export, and the world began to take serious notice of the country’s rising creative forces.

Contemporary Urgencies

With the decline of state censorship, Brazilian artists of the 1990s embraced more radical, often controversial subject matter. Themes of identity, queerness, displacement, and ecological crisis emerged. This freedom coincided with a shift in medium: artists turned to large-scale paintings, immersive installations, and multimedia work to reflect the complexities of modern Brazilian life.

This was not merely a trend—it was a necessity. In a country wrestling with inequality, environmental degradation, and rapid urbanisation, artists needed space—physically and conceptually—to work through national trauma and possibility. The artwork became a kind of architecture for dialogue.

Among those navigating this new terrain were Ana Elisa Egreja, whose surreal domestic scenes invited quiet contemplation; Rodrigo Bivar, with his explorations of materiality and visual rhythm; Rafael Carneiro, known for his haunting figurative work; and Wagner Malta Tavares, whose multidisciplinary practice pushed boundaries between sculpture, installation, and performance. These artists, as highlighted by Fondation CAB, represent a generation unafraid to engage with the contradictions of their time.

SP-Arte and Global Reach

Perhaps the most visible symbol of Brazil’s rising stature in the international art world came with the founding of SP-Arte in 2005. Though just outside the 1990s frame, its foundations were laid in that period of growth and self-definition. Now one of Latin America’s premier art fairs, SP-Arte brought global attention—and commercial validation—to Brazilian contemporary art. In its early editions, it revealed the depth and diversity of a scene that had been gestating in the urban corridors and gallery spaces of São Paulo for over a decade.

Continuity and Cannibalism

Looking back, the rebellious creativity of the 1990s was not a rupture but a continuation of Brazil’s modernist project—born from cannibalism, fed by hybridity. The modernists of the 1920s devoured European tradition to give birth to something local and radical. Their descendants in the 1990s cannibalised street culture, politics, and global trends to forge an art of the present—visceral, plural, and unrelentingly alive.

And as the Manifesto Antropófago teaches us, Brazilian culture doesn’t passively receive—it consumes, transforms, and creates. Whether in the bold strokes of a mural, the immersive sprawl of an installation, or the carefully designed curves of a protest poster, this legacy of cultural reinvention endures—on walls, in print, and across the world.