Born in 1978 in Rio de Janeiro, Antonio Bokel graduated in graphic design from Univercidade in 2004. He held his first solo exhibition in 2003 at Ken's Gallery, in Florence, Italy, where he resided and took courses in photography and art history. In Rio de Janeiro, he took live model classes with Bandeira de Mello and painting courses with João Magalhães and Luiz Ernesto, at the Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage.Over the past two decades, he has presented his work in Brazil and internationally.
Antonio tests the boundaries and permeabilities between the collective and individual spaces, the street and the studio, the movement and the image that remains of it as a trace. Having started his practice in painting, the artist is not limited to it, developing works in sculpture, photography, performance, intervention, and installation. On his canvases, we see the convergence of different artistic languages, from the formalism of constructive poetics to the abundant gesture of abstract expressionism.
Main Exhibitions:
2012 - “Gramática Urbana” at Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica (Rio de Janeiro). Curated by Vanda Klabin.
2013 - “Transfiguração do Rastro” at Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica (Rio de Janeiro). Curated by Bruno Garcia.
2014 - “Na Periferia do Mundo” at Centro Cultural da Justiça Federal (Rio de Janeiro). Curated by Vanda Klabin.
2014 - New acquisitions at Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM - Rio de Janeiro). Curated by Luiz Camillo Osorio.
2015 - “La Nature d’or” at Galeria Mercedes Viegas (Rio de Janeiro). Curated by Mario Gioia.
2016 - “Nada Além das Palavras” at Galeria Matias Brotas (Vitoria-ES). Curated by Daniela Name.
2016 - “Point of View” (site-specific) at Palácio da Pena (Sintra, Portugal). Curated by Paulo Arraiano.
2017 - “Tudo que está coberto” at Galeria Aura (São Paulo). Curated by Paulo Galinna.
2018 - “Ver Rever” at Centro Cultural dos Correios (Rio de Janeiro). Curated by Vanda Klabin.
2018 - “Inquiet(ação)” at AM galeria (Belo Horizonte). Curated by Vanda Klabin.
2019 - “Espaço entre as coisas” at Galeria Mercedes Viegas (Rio de Janeiro). Curated by Sonia Salcedo Del Castillo.
2019 - “Pinta Plattaforms Project” (Miami, US). Curated by Roc Laseca.
2021 - “Paraíso Perdido” at Espaço Cultural Correios (Niterói). Curated by Ana Carolina Ralston.
2021 - “Estado Bruto” at MAM - Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro. Curated by Beatriz Lemos, Keyna Eleison, and Pablo Lafuente.
2021 - “Line Like Waves” at Noaddress Gallery (Reggio Nell Emilia, Italy). Curated by Domenico De Chirico.
2022 - “A Poesia Es_ no Verso” at Galeria Matias Brotas (Vitória-ES). Curated by Victor Gorgulho.
2022 - “Paraíso Perdido” at Espaço Cultural Correios (Niterói). Curated by Ana Carolina Ralston.
2023 - “Euclides ao Réves” at Usina Luis Maluf (São Paulo). Curated by Agnaldo Farias.
Artistic Residencies:
2010 - AAAAA No Thing But Truth at Sid Lee Collective Gallery (Amsterdam, Netherlands).
2011 - ARTUR - Artistas Unidos em Residência (Lagos, Portugal).
2015 - Cidadela Art District (Cascais, Portugal).
2017 - React Contemporary (Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island, Azores).
2021 - Residência Rama (Maceira, Torres Vedras, Portugal).
2022 - Residência Oasis (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
Collections:
Holds works in the collections of MAR (Museu de Arte do Rio), MAM (Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro), and the Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection.
2015/2019 - Nominated for the Pipa Prize.