Bruno Novelli Brazilian, b. 1980

Bruno Novelli's painting practice is marked by a distinctive use of color, dense surface patterns, and a visual lexicon that draws from a wide range of historical and cultural references.

Born in Fortaleza, Brazil, in 1980, the artist is strongly influenced by the richness of the Amazon and has been in long-standing dialogue with Huni Kuin Indigenous artists. Novelli constructs images populated by fantastical animals, symbolic forms, and dreamlike visions of nature. At the same time, his work examines the legacy of European representations of the tropical landscape, exploring the tension between nature and its domination by man. Novelli’s compositions bring together elements from medieval bestiaries, Renaissance painting, so-called naïve art, surrealism, and pop culture. This confluence of sources gives rise to a unique visual grammar, where imagination and structure coexist in complex pictorial arrangements.

Over the past two decades, Novelli has exhibited in major Brazilian and international institutions. Notable exhibitions include Siamo Foresta (Group, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain at Triennale Milano, Italy, 2023); Les Vivants (Living Worlds) (Group, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain at Lille 3000, Lille, France, 2022); Tesouro das Feras(Solo, Museu de Arte Contemporânea do Rio Grande do Sul — MACRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2021); and 1981/2021: Arte contemporânea brasileira na coleção de Andrea e José Olympio Pereira (Group, CCBB Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2021).

He studied drawing at the Ateliê Livre da Prefeitura in Porto Alegre (2003) and received his degree in graphic design from ESPM, São Paulo (2014). Between 2003 and 2007, he initiated and co-organized a series of independent, interdisciplinary programs under the name Universidade Autoindicada por Entidades Livres, fostering artistic experimentation and exchange.