Berenson Fine Art is pleased to share with you the exhibition catalogue for THE STAINED KEY by the Brazilian-born Canadian artist Alexandre Da Silva Maia.
The show runs from December 7 – 27, 2024 and will comprise approximately eleven works.
Alexandre Da Silva Maia’s work is an exploration of his favourite literary motifs; many of these from his childhood. Though captivated by nostalgia, there is no elegant decay or visual marks of time. Rather, there are meditations on beauty in the movement to and from real and unreal spaces. Finally, the desire to tell stories is prevalent: the tales of trackless woods and rural settings are captured like a photograph within the lacquered boundaries of resin.
Da Silva Maia’s work is a dance between the real and the unreal. ‘Bunny’ paintings, abstract forest and rural settings with a pleating, camouflaging color effect accompany the movement.
His paintings are constructed by painted layers of acrylic paint and gold leaf. Resin is the final layer. The artwork reflects outwards while simultaneously drawing the viewer in.
“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you.”
(The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams)
Alexandre Da Silva Maia moved to Canada at the age of five from London, England. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he has held tight to his Brazilian roots, mixed with patchwork memories from a childhood spent in the countryside both in England and the Canadian Prairies.
His academic background was in English literature, and he received his Master’s degree from McGill University. Now, as a self-taught artist living in Toronto, he finds himself drawn to the dream spaces he cherishes the most.
Opening Night Photos courtesy of Steve Blackburn
