For the 2017 edition of Art Basel Hong Kong, Lehmann Maupin (1C21) will present a selection of works by Teresita Fernandez, Kim Guiline, Lee Bul, Liu Wei, Liza Lou, Angel Otero, Do Ho Suh, and Mickalene Thomas.
For Art Basel Hong Kong's first Kabinett sector, OSGEMEOS have created four new paintings in which the natural world and water recur throughout. Water has long appeared as a motif in OSGEMEOS' work in the form of oceans and drinking water, as well as sea creatures like whales, fish, and mermaids. For the artists, water and sea life are tied to their childhood and family history—their grandfather traveled to Brazil from Lithuania by boat, and he was a fisherman by trade. These memories of growing up on the water with their grandfather permeate their dreams and therefore appear as references in their paintings. Water is also significant to the artists because it is symbolic of life—we are born from water and it is essential to our survival.
São Paulo-based artists OSGEMEOS are widely known for their large-scale murals across the globe, however their museum and gallery work provides the opportunity to create environments and situations that more closely mirror the fantastical dreams the brothers have shared their entire life. OSGEMEOS’ paintings and installations are not confined to individual readings; like dreams, they are multi-layered, complex, interwoven, and meant to be open to the interpretation of the viewer, and to inspire and ignite one’s imagination. Their signature yellow characters are typically engaged in activities inspired by the twins' experience of growing up in the neighborhood of Cambuci, world mythologies, Brazilian folklore, music of all kinds, vernacular expression, and their global travels.