Jaime Lauriano

Jaime Lauriano explores the symbols, images, and myths that shape the imagination of Brazilian society through his videos, installations, objects, and texts.

Biography of Jaime Lauriano

Jaime Lauriano was born in 1985 in São Paulo, Brazil. From 2006 to 2010, he studied Visual Arts at the Centro Universitário Belas Artes De São Paulo. Later, he attended Programa Independente da Escola São Paulo (PIESP), directed by Adriano Pedrosa (2013-2014). 

Lauriano's artistic journey has been enriched by numerous residencies, which include:

• Atelier Amarelo, Atelier Amarelo, São Paulo (2007);
• Red Bull House Of Art 2010, Red Bull House Of Art, São Paulo (2010);
• Residência No Condomínio, Condomínio Cultural, São Paulo (2013);
• Hotel Cambridge Residency, São Paulo (2016);
• Q21 Museums Quartier, Vienna (2017);
• Casa Wabi, Oaxaca (2017).

The artist has also received several awards and prizes, including 1st Prêmio CCBB Contemporâneo, Prêmio FOCO Bradesco ArtRio 2016, CNI SESI SENAI Award Marcantonio Vilaça 2017, and many more.

Jaime Lauriano's artwork has been exhibited extensively across the globe, spanning renowned galleries, museums, and cultural institutions. His solo exhibitions include "Why don’t you know about Western remains?" at Nara Roesler in New York (2024), "Aqui é o Fim do Mundo" at Museu de Arte do Rio in Rio de Janeiro (2023), "Paraíso da miragem" at Kubik Galerry in Porto (2022), "Marcas" at Fundação Joaquim Nabuco in Recife (2018), and many more.

Additionally, the artist has participated in group shows held at various venues worldwide, including Nara Roesler in Rio de Janeiro, Fundacion PROA in Buenos Aires, CCBB in Belo Horizonte, National Gallery of Art in Washington, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Maus Hábitos in Porto, among others.

Currenly, Jaime Lauriano lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil.

Jaime Lauriano's Art Style

Jaime Lauriano delves into the symbols, images, and myths that mold the imagination of Brazilian society through videos, installations, objects, and texts. By interweaving them with critical commentary, Lauriano exposes the enduring resonance of colonial legacies in today's necropolitical landscape.

Informed by his personal experience as a black man, Lauriano confronts the manifestations of daily violence ingrained in Brazilian history since the Portuguese colonization, disproportionately affecting non-white individuals. He directs his attention to the historical traumas entrenched in Brazilian culture, navigating their intricacies by harnessing images and narratives sourced from a spectrum of origins. These range from official channels such as media outlets and state propaganda to unofficial sources like internet-shared videos depicting acts of lynching.

Lauriano's critique transcends the macro-political realms of official power to encompass micro-political dimensions. He conceptualizes trauma not solely within temporal frameworks but also spatially, employing cartography as a tool to interrogate colonial territorial dynamics and constructs.

Another facet of his work involves the exploration of ancestral religions of African origin. Lauriano incorporates signs and symbols from the rituals of these religions, such as the white pemba. He recognizes the pivotal role of the religious sphere in the resistance of enslaved individuals, serving as a sanctuary for maintaining their connection with their ancestral land.