Gustavo Nazareno’s Baroque Visions Arrive In Miami and Bal Harbour

On the cusp of his first solo exhibitions in the United States, Brazilian artist Gustavo Nazareno is poised to captivate audiences in Miami and Bal Harbour with a powerful synthesis of history, faith, and identity. Through his two distinct shows—Afro-Latin Baroque at Opera Gallery in Miami and Bára at Opera Gallery Bal Harbour—Nazareno offers a visual dialogue between the grandeur of the Baroque and the spiritual traditions of the African diaspora. The exhibition is on view from March 6 to March 29, 2025.

A rising star in contemporary Brazilian art, Nazareno has already made waves with his participation in One Becomes Many at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, a group exhibition spotlighting prominent Black Brazilian artists. His work, which draws on influences from the rich artistic heritage of his home state of Minas Gerais, finds new resonance in Miami, a city that exists at the crossroads of Latin American and Afro-Caribbean cultures.

A Baroque of the Americas

In Afro-Latin Baroque, Nazareno reinvents the aesthetic traditions of the Baroque, a style known for its dramatic use of light, shadow, and religious symbolism. While Baroque art in 17th-century Europe was shaped by Catholicism’s visual theatrics, its influence spread across Latin America, evolving through the hands of Indigenous and Afro-descendant artists. In Brazil, artists such as Aleijadinho transformed European Baroque into something uniquely their own, fusing it with local traditions and spiritual practices. Nazareno continues this legacy, connecting Brazil’s Baroque past with the Afro-Cuban influences of Santería and the Brazilian religious tradition of Candomblé.

Nazareno’s paintings possess a haunting elegance—figures draped in deep, velvety blacks, bathed in the glow of a candlelit world. His compositions feel at once ancient and avant-garde, blending the opulence of Baroque architecture with the evocative, ephemeral nature of human existence. The figures in his works are unbound by fixed identity, existing between genders, ages, and cultural markers, embodying the fluidity of the spiritual realm.

The Rituals of Bára

At Opera Gallery Bal Harbour, Nazareno presents Bára, a series of over 30 charcoal drawings that delve into the dance ceremonies of Eshu, one of the most complex deities in Yoruba and Afro-Brazilian religious traditions. With his signature technique—applying charcoal dust with his fingertips in a candlelit studio—Nazareno renders figures that appear sculpted from darkness itself, their movements echoing centuries-old rituals. The stark contrast of his monochromatic palette evokes the dramatic chiaroscuro of Caravaggio while simultaneously resembling the timeless quality of black-and-white photography.

Bára offers an intimate look at a culture where the divine is made manifest through movement and storytelling. The rhythmic gestures of Eshu’s worshippers take shape in Nazareno’s hands, their fluidity capturing the spirit of transcendence. It is a series that breathes life into history, reminding viewers that faith, like art, is an ever-evolving act of creation.

Miami: A Cultural Crossroads

For Nazareno, Miami is the perfect setting for this dual presentation. As a city deeply influenced by Brazilian and Cuban diasporic communities, Miami serves as a bridge between the artistic legacies he seeks to explore. “These works are a dialogue between the sacred and the ancestral,” Nazareno reflects, “where the ornate grandeur of Baroque art meets the resilient vibrancy of Candomblé and Santería.”

Both exhibitions highlight Opera Gallery’s commitment to showcasing diverse artistic voices, and the presence of Nazareno’s work in such a dynamic cultural hub reinforces the growing global recognition of Afro-Latin artists. As his paintings and drawings invite viewers into a world where history, faith, and art converge, Nazareno reminds us that the past is never truly past—it is reborn in every stroke, every shadow, and every ritual reenacted on canvas and paper.

Afro-Latin Baroque and Bára are on view at Opera Gallery Miami and Opera Gallery Bal Harbour, respectively.

For more information, visit operagallery.com.

By ML Staff. Image Courtesy of Gustavo Nazareno