A ntonio Obá is a Brazilian interdisciplinary artist whose sculpture, painting, and performance explore identity, power, and colonial history through Afro-Brazilian and religious symbolism. His internationally exhibited work examines the vulnerability of the Black body and reflects his reclamation of Yoruba heritage, with pieces now held in major institutions such as Tate and Museo Reina Sofía.
Antonio Obá Biography
Born in Ceilândia, Brazil, Antonio Obá is celebrated for his interdisciplinary practice that spans sculpture, painting and performance. His work contends with the religious implications on identity and power structures: synthesizing religious symbolism with contemporary Brazilian imagery, Obá dissects Brazilian colonial history with a unique painterly hand.
As a young child living in an agricultural suburb of Brasilia, Obá constantly drew, but it was in high school when he exhibited his first paintings of capoeira that he realized the resonance of his artistic enterprise. His early work was heavily influenced by artists such as Francis Bacon, as well as his capoeira practice, which spurred his reclamation of his African heritage. Obá was inspired to replace his Christian surname, de Paula, with ‘Obá,’ the Yoruba word for ‘king.’ Subsequently, his recent works span media to explore the vulnerability of the Black body.
Since 2016, Obá has had over a dozen international solo exhibitions, and his works reside in numerous institutional collections, including the Tate, London; Pinault Collection, Pinault Collection, Museo Reina Sofia, Blenheim Art Foundation, and ICA Miami among them.
Read Less
