Artist: Dalton Paula
Exhibition title: a kidnapper of souls
Venue: Alexander and Bonin, New York, US
Date: September 12 – October 24, 2020
Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Alexander and Bonin, New York
Alexander and Bonin is pleased to announce the opening of Dalton Paula’s first solo exhibition in North America on Saturday, September 12.
Twenty-four portraits line the gallery. Portrayed on two-part canvases with blue-green backgrounds and gold-streaked hair, are historic Afro-Brazilian figures who have never been visually depicted during their lifetime or posthumously. As part of his research, Paula visited Quilombo Alto do Santana in Goias, near Goiâna, where he works and lives. Quilombos are political organizations and communities of black cultural resistance of African origin that were recreated in Brazil during the 16th to 18th centuries. Paula photographed residents of the quilombo and used these images as the basis for his portraits, where the subjects are illustrated in period clothes and hairstyles. In doing so, Paula constructs a counter-narrative that differs from the predominant representations of the black Brazilian population.
There is an intimacy and a tenderness to Paula’s hand, to the way he infuses each canvas with dignity. The paintings themselves recall early 20th century retratos pintados, in which a formal black-and-white photograph was painted, often with a blue background, and embellished to reflect the desires and fantasies of the subject. There is a parallel absence in many paintings; Paula leaves their jewelry unpainted and unrepresented, reflecting the ongoing dispossession of the wealth of Black Brazilians and their absence from places of power. The use of two canvases creates a line down the center of each portrait and evokes a sense of visual discomfort which serves as a metaphor for what the artist experiences during his visits to quilombos: poor black communities enduring a daily struggle for better living conditions.
Dalton Paula was born in 1982 in Brasilia and lives in Goiânia. Paula’s work has been exhibited at the São Paulo Biennial (2016); Instituto Tomie Ohtake, São Paulo (2017); New Museum Triennial, New York (2018); the 11th Bienal do Mercosul, Porto Alegre (2018); “Histórias Afro-Atlânticas,” Museo de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) and Instituto Tomie Ohtake, São Paulo (2018); and “Allied with Power,” Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami (2020).
For Kate, a 1976 installation by Ree Morton along with selected drawings from 1972-1976 are on view in the staircase gallery. These works were included in The Plant that Heals May Also Poison, a retrospective presented at ICA, Philadelphia, the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Saratoga Springs, and the ICA, Los Angeles over the past year.
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, a kidnapper of souls, 2020, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Dalton Paula, Luiza (Mãe), oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Justina Maria, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Liberata, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Dandara, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Ambrósio, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Alufá Rufino, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Chica da Silva, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Mandilacota, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Chico Rei, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Ganga – Zumba, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Rita Cebola, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Malunguinho, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Zumbi, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Juca Rosa, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Luiza Mahin, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Zacimba Gaba, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Domingas, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Ambrosina, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Maria Felipa, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Narcisa Ribeiro, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, João Candido, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Esperança Rita, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Felix José Rodrigues, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm
Dalton Paula, Joana da Silva Machado, oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 ¾ x 1 1/2 in/61 x 45 x 4 cm