HOA Gallery presents a solo exhibition by visual artist and filmmaker Bertô.

Starting on March 30th, HOA Gallery will host the solo exhibition titled “Gold, silver, and bronze; violet and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair, ram skins dyed red, and another type of durable leather; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; onyx stones and other gems to be fouling on the ephod garment and breast piece,” by artist Bertô, with text written by Jairo Malta.

Bertô holds an academic degree in Social Communication from Faculdade Cásper Líbero and in Film Directing from Academia Internacional de Cinema. He also participated in study groups at Escola Entrópica in Instituto Tomie Ohtake. He is dedicated to independent filmmaking, as well as painting as a means of artistic expression. His work explores the interactions between Christianity, the world of dreams, and everyday life, using an imagistic approach surrounded by mystery and full of colors.

The exhibition presents a decolonial perspective on the biblical narrative of Exodus through the eleven divine manifestations that liberated the Hebrew people, including the ten plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. The representation of the parting of the Red Sea symbolizes the first layer of traumas that black people carry with them in history. Jairo Malta, curator of the exhibition, states that Bertô rescues the history that time dared to present through the lens of oppressors, conducting brushstrokes that are sometimes gentle and sometimes harsh on a colorful and valuable linen canvas like the bodies of black captives.

The works question the construction of the collective biblical imaginary and provide a fascinating journey through the history of art, race, and religion. Bertô uses painting as a visual intersection point, creating images that go beyond the knowledge instituted by art systems.