William Maia. “ Quando a gira girou”. 2022
Acrylic, spray paint and glitter on canvas
About the artist
William Maia (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1997) is a visual artist whose practice takes memory as its starting point, moving through the popular and religious traditions of Black culture. Raised in Realengo, a culturally diverse neighbourhood of Rio's suburbs, his work is marked by the influence of the bate-bolas and by the rites of popular Catholicism, Umbanda and candomblé, weaving narratives that move between the sacred and the profane.
From personal experience and ancestral references he builds images of healing that engage the historical harms suffered by the Afro-Brazilian population, allowing emancipatory narratives to be carried forward. His work spans painting, objects, sculpture, drawing, installation and video, using materials such as paper, filler compound and glass powder. It explores family ties, the dualities of pain and delight in Black skin, and historical references to past and future.