OSGEMEOS
Collaborated Project:
OSGEMEOS (meaning “the twins” in Portuguese) are Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo (b. 1974, São Paulo, Brazil). They began painting on the streets of São Paulo as teenagers in 1987, working in isolation from the international graffiti scene. They were champion break dancers, absorbing everything they could about Wild Style graffiti and hip hop culture. The two paintings featured in City As Studio, Back in the Days (2008) and Momentos mágicos (Magic Moments) (2015), are homages to the golden age of New York City subway graffiti that inspired them.
OSGEMEOS have developed a distinct artistic vocabulary and color palette, inspired by their native city. The artists convey their vision of daily life transformed into their invented dreamworld. The artists are interested in what is inside people, beneath the surface. They are influenced by the folklore and the people of Brazil, creating characters that are reflections of both indigenous customs and the urban sprawl, exploring the contradictions of their environment. Characters are often seen emerging from hiding places, revealing secret moments. They describe their work as “reporting scenes from a magic, love, hate and real place that lives inside us, a real dream, the scene of our own universe.”
2nd Avenue, Lower East Side, NYC, 2015. Photo © Martha Cooper.