Berlin’s contemporary art ecosystem is hosting a landmark solo exhibition for the European art market at 69salon by KORNFELD from 15 January to 28 February 2026. Rio de Janeiro-born artist OBastardo (b. 1997) presents his first solo show titled “Rhythm & Skin,” centering on works produced during his 2025 residency in the final quarter of the year as part of the 68projects guest artist program. The exhibition problematizes the ontological foundations of Afro-Brazilian culture, the socio-political visibility of marginalized communities, and the aesthetic parameters of identity construction with academic depth.
OBastardo’s portraits weave individual biographies into a collective historical consciousness, inviting the viewer into a multi-layered visual semantics. Drawing from his graffiti roots in Rio’s favelas, the artist’s urban language evolves into a figurative abstraction through gestural lines and a vivid color palette. The patterns and symbolic references in the works—particularly through spiritual imagery such as the Orixá Oxalufan—carry Candomblé spirituality into the space as aesthetic data. The anonymous figures constructed by the artist transform into poetic monuments representing the cultural belonging, resilience, and pride of Black bodies frequently rendered invisible in Brazilian society.
Shaped by his training at EAV Parque Lage and Beaux-Arts de Paris, OBastardo synthesizes the raw energy of urban art with classical figurative discipline. The monumental diptych The King of Samba (2025) on view in the exhibition showcases the artist’s technical mastery in the use of permanent marker, oil paint, and acrylic. Similarly, Can you see my color? (2025) and the untitled works on linen executed with pigmented pencil from 2024–2025 present a provocative narrative that questions the boundaries of social belonging and identity consumption. OBastardo’s brushstrokes, as an artistic projection of the geographical and cultural permeability between Rio and Paris, place Black bodies at the center of a global utopia.
Exhibition Information
Gallery: 69salon by KORNFELD
Artist: OBastardo
Exhibition Title: Rhythm & Skin
Dates: 15 January – 28 February 2026
Address: Fasanenstraße 69, 10719 Berlin
