Examining myself and others

Description

“Examining Myself and Others” brought together, for the first time, works by Victor Arruda (Brazil, 1947) and Carroll Dunham (USA, 1949), in an exhibition at Almeida&Dale, São Paulo. Curated by Dan Nadel, the show connected their paintings and drawings through recurring themes: masculinity, conflict, sexuality, and consciousness—all expressed through vivid color palettes, explicit scenarios, and fantastical, often surreal spaces.

Although close in age, Arruda and Dunham come from vastly different backgrounds. In the 1970s and 80s, Arruda was confronting Brazil’s upper class and authoritarian regime through bold, subversive painting in Rio de Janeiro. Dunham, on the other hand, was navigating New York’s conceptual art circles, searching for a visual language rooted in personal expression. Each artist found freedom in their work, delving into universal human acts—looking, dreaming, dancing, fighting, having sex—through highly individual lenses. Their compositions place interpersonal experience front and center, bringing nuance to the everyday.

The exhibition’s visual identity echoed this tone with a playful, pop-infused style: rounded typefaces referencing comic book aesthetics (a key influence in the curator’s research), layouts constructed with blocks of saturated color, and variable text scales. The color palette was lifted from the artworks themselves, while design choices emphasized clarity and rhythm, with an approachable tone. Notably, the motif of reflection was central—used in the catalog cover and gallery signage—to literally insert the viewer’s image into the narrative and emphasize their presence in the unfolding dialogue.

Scope

Visual identity
Signage
Catalog

Credits

Graphic design
Beatriz Dórea, Isabela Di Dario

Execution
Almeida & Dale Galeria de Arte

Direction
Erica Schmatz

Organization and curation
Dan Nadel

Curator’s assistant
Amanda Arantes

Production
Ana Chun
Beatriz Christal

Editorial assistant
Diana de Abreu Dobránszky

Copyediting
Cícero Oliveira

Translation
Alyne Azuma

Graphic production
Lilia Góes

Exhibition project
Fernanda Ocanhas

Light designer
Anna Turra

Scenography
Carlos Ferraboli

Photography
Antônio Brandão, Sergio Guerini

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