Among the most influential and singular voices in late twentieth-century Brazilian art, Leonilson (1957–1993) forged a deeply personal visual language that fused autobiography, desire, symbolism and spirituality. Organized in collaboration with Projeto Leonilson and Almeida & Dale, the exhibition brings together paintings, drawings and textiles from the mid-1970s through the early 1990s and traces the evolution of his practice, from early experimental works to the intimate embroidered textiles and diaristic drawings of his final years. A leading figure of Brazil’s Geração 80, Leonilson developed an unmistakable visual language that intertwined autobiography, eroticism, spirituality and longing.
José Leonilson Bezerra Dias, was a Brazilian artist working in both 2D as a painter and draughtsman and in 3D as textile worker and sculptor. He lived most of his life in Brazil where he created conceptual artworks focused on expressions of love and grief specifically from a queer-lens. Leonilson was diagnosed with HIV (AIDS) at the age of 34, and died a few years later from complications.
Lisson