Lourival Cuquinha Brazil, b. 1975

Lourival Cuquinha (Recife, 1970) is a Brazilian contemporary artist whose work unfolds at the intersection of politics, economy, and urban life. His practice often takes the form of long-term, socially engaged projects that extend beyond the gallery, involving communities, public space, and the mechanisms of power. Through installations, performances, and interventions, Cuquinha creates situations that blur the boundaries between art and activism. Many of his works transform public participation into a central element, from projects with street vendors and informal economies to large-scale symbolic actions that comment on capitalism, inequality, and freedom.

His visual language incorporates a wide range of media — from sculptural objects and textiles to video and documentation — often using found or repurposed materials that carry social and political charge. The result is a body of work that is both poetic and confrontational, inviting viewers to question their role in shared civic and economic systems. Cuquinha has exhibited widely in Brazil and abroad, and his works are part of significant public collections, including the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM-SP), Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), and the Museu de Arte Moderna Aloísio Magalhães (MAMAM), among others. His career reflects a commitment to art as a tool for dialogue, resistance, and transformation.

Selected Exhibitions

2024 – Transição de Fase, Pátio de São Pedro & Rua da Imperatriz, Recife

2023 – Histórias Brasileiras, MASP, São Paulo — com a obra Apólice do Apocalipse

2021 – Crapulocracia, Central Galeria, São Paulo

2018 – Transição de Fase, Funarte, Belo Horizonte

2015 – O Trabalho Gira em Torno, MAMAM – Museu de Arte Moderna Aloísio Magalhães, Recife

2014 – Territórios e Capital: Extinções, MAM – Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro

2012 – Capital: destruction-construction, PROGR Foundation, Bern, Suíça

2012 – Topografia Suada de Londres, Centro Cultural Correios, Recife

Collections

– Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM-SP)

– Centro Cultural São Paulo (CCSP)

– Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), Rio de Janeiro

– Museu de Arte Moderna Aloísio Magalhães (MAMAM), Recife

– Centro Cultural Banco do Nordeste

– Instituto Cultural Santander, Brasil