Divine Visions: Gustavo Nazareno Brings Afro-Brazilian Mysticism To The DuSable Museum

Forbes

22-04-2025

Gustavo Nazareno "Eshu" 2025 © Estúdio em obra
Brazilian artist Gustavo Nazareno is making significant strides in the international art world, with a solo exhibition due to open at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago in tandem with a presentation at EXPO Chicago. Nazareno–born in 1994 in Três Pontas and currently based in São Paulo–has become known for powerful paintings exploring Afro-Brazilian spirituality.
Curated by Danny Dunson, the DuSable Black History Museum exhibition will showcase Nazareno's unique art which merges influences of the Yoruba pantheon and Candomblé traditions with elements of spirituality. Nazareno's sumptuous, evocative paintings, use of chiaroscuro and mastery of brushstrokes recall Renaissance and Baroque paintings, yet he merges this knowledge of art history and skill as a (self-taught) painter with references to Brazilian cultural, ritual and the divine.
Gustavo Nazareno portrait © Courtesy of GUSN Studio
I spoke to Nazareno as he prepared for his solo show at the DuSable Black History Museum and asked him how significant the exhibition is for him. He told me: 'It is profoundly meaningful for me to present my work at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, particularly given the institution's historical significance and its role in shaping the narrative of Black culture and art.'
He also gave me some insight into what visitors to the exhibition can expect: 'For this occasion, we conceived a presentation that is intentionally minimal yet deeply meaningful, consisting of a series of studies and a single painting. This approach emphasizes the rigor of the research process over the spectacle of the final form. Next year, we will inaugurate a major exhibition at the museum. This initial project serves as a prologue to a much larger celebration to come.'
Nazareno will be in conversation with curator Danny Dunson at the museum on 26th April, and he divulged some of the topics they will discuss: 'In the conversation with Danny Dunson, we will reflect on the development of my artistic practice through the lens of our longstanding collaboration. We will examine how notions of Afro-Brazilian identity, spirituality and the divine permeate my work, and how these concepts are negotiated within contemporary art discourse. Beginning with the origins of our partnership, which was instrumental in shaping the early stages of my career, we will trace the evolution of our dialogues around art making, faith, and representation. It is an invitation to think critically about how Afro-diasporic expressions manifest across geographies and histories.'
Gustavo Nazareno 'A Guide for a Passage', 2025
Nazareno will also be exhibiting at EXPO Chicago, further cementing his position within the global art community and indicating the growing recognition of Brazilian artists. I asked Nazareno why he thinks Brazilian art seems to be having an overdue moment in the spotlight, citing examples of the increasing presence of Brazilian art such as the Brasil! Brasil! Exhibition of Brazilian Modernism at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, a retrospective of Tarsila do Amaral at Guggenheim Bilbao and an increasing presence of Brazilian artists at Biennales and art fairs. Nazareno told me: 'Brazil has always been a potent cultural force, and its contributions to art are inseparable from the country's historical processes of resistance, resilience, and self-invention. Artistic practice in Brazil is not merely aesthetic; it is political, existential, and communal. What we are witnessing now is a long-overdue international recognition of this complexity.'
Nazareno will exhibit paintings and charcoal drawings at EXPO Chicago with the Opera Gallery from April 24thto 27th and his exhibition at DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago runs from 22nd April until 29th May, 2025, preluding a larger solo exhibition in 2026 at the museum.
Artistic Vision: Merging Tradition with Contemporary Expression
Nazareno's art is a bold fusion of Afro-Brazilian religious iconography with a nod to the Old Masters. He often depicts anonymous, cloaked or robed characters and animals such as cats and horses with dramatic chiaroscuro and a skilful sense of modelling and lighting. Birds and animals often appear as metaphors for transition or messengers from the spirit world. He is also adept at depicting drapery in his paintings, evoking the Renaissance Masters, and sees it as a 'veil between the seen and unseen'.
In an exquisite painting titled Revelation, Nazareno depicts a stunning Black Stallion–in a manner recalling the mastery of equine painting exemplified by George Stubbs' 18th Century portrait Whistlejacket–whose glossy tail morphs into a cascade of ebony toned drapery. Nazareno's painting The First Standing Soul shows a chicken whose feathers mutate into cream and grey toned drapes.
Gustavo Nazareno "The First Standing Soul", 2025, Courtesy Opera Gallery / © Estúdio em obra
The exhibition at DuSable Black History Museum features works made by Nazareno in response to Brazilian fables that that draw inspiration from the pantheon of Orixás–a system of entities worshipped in parts of Africa and Latin America. Nazareno draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources–from the traditions of Afro-Latin religions Candomblé and Santería to the aesthetics of fashion photography. Curator Danny Dunson has described Nazereno's art as 'an incantation—an exquisite conjuring of shadow and light, spirit and form.'
Nazareno's upcoming exhibition at the DuSable Museum and his participation in EXPO Chicago are part of a broader trajectory that includes solo shows in Miami and London. His signature style offers a bridge between tradition and modernity and delves into Brazil's rich cultural heritage and spirituality. For those interested in experiencing Nazareno's art firsthand, visiting the DuSable Museum's upcoming exhibition promises an insightful journey into the intersection of Afro-Brazilian traditions and contemporary artistic expression.
Gustavo Nazareno 'Revelation', 2025 © Gustavo Nazareno
Nazareno's presentation at EXPO Chicago follows his participation in group exhibition One Becomes Many at the Pérez Art Museum in Miami. The show features work by ten prominent Black Brazilian artists and runs until 16th April, 2026.
I asked Nazareno how he feels the experience and impact of exhibiting in a museum to that of taking part in an art fair differ. 'Both contexts, the museum exhibition and the art fair, are vital, though they function differently within the art ecosystem. A museum exhibition confers a degree of institutional validation and allows for the exploration of process-based work. It privileges research, depth, and historical dialogue over immediacy. By contrast, gallery presentations and art fairs demand a more immediate engagement. They rely heavily on the visual and emotional impact of the works to capture viewers' attention in a matter of seconds. The art fair, in particular, operates within the spectacle economy, where the encounter is swift but no less profound. In a sense, each space feeds the other. The museum gives gravitas, while the fair provides visibility and access to new audiences.'
Find out more about the art of Gustavo Nazareno here.
Gustavo Nazareno 'Bridge', 2025 © Gustavo Nazareno