Beatriz Milhazes: Maresias 2023 Installation View. © Courtesy Turner Contemporary. Photo by Thierry Bal
Beatriz Milhazes: Maresias
Sunley Gallery and First Floor Galleries
Turner Contemporary is pleased to present Beatriz Milhazes: Maresias, a survey of the work of Beatriz Milhazes, widely recognised as one of the leading abstract artists working today.
Beatriz Milhazes (b.1960, Rio de Janeiro) is widely recognised as one of the leading abstract artists working today.
Maresias, Milhazes’ first UK solo institutional exhibition in over two decades, brought together 20 key paintings and 5 works on paper from 1989 to more recent years to trace the evolution of Milhazes’ artistic approach over the past four decades. A major installation was also presented in the Sunley Gallery Window.
Milhazes emerged in the 1980s as a leading figure in the important Brazilian art movement Geração Oitenta (1980s Generation), which moved away from the austere conceptual art of the previous decade and embraced painting as a form of energy and expression. Today, Milhazes is known for intensely colourful, large-scale abstract canvases which present energetic contradictions: from the tension between carefully planned construction and appearance of spontaneity, to slick surfaces that belie tiny cracks and layers.
Nature is an enduring and increasingly important theme in Milhazes’ work. Encouraging us to reflect on our own relationship with the environment, Maresias spoke to Turner Contemporary’s unique coastal location and the new strand of the gallery’s programme dedicated to contemporary ecological issues.
Beatriz Milhazes: Maresias was co-curated by Melissa Blanchflower, Senior Curator and Emma Lewis, Curator.
The exhibition will tour to Tate St Ives 25 May – 29 September 2025.
Clore Learning Studio
Our Children’s Art Library includes a number of new titles donated by Thames & Hudson centring on the environment, art and creativity.
The Clore Learning Studio also presents Portfolio X RISE UP. CLEAN UP., an exhibition that platforms young people in Kent showcasing their artwork and ideas. This year the theme of ocean environments and advocacy was selected in partnership with RISE UP. CLEAN UP., a community-driven social-initiative group with a mission to protect the local coastline.
Resources
Beatriz Milhazes: Maresias is presented with generous support from White Cube, Galerie Max Hetzler, Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel and Pace Gallery with additional support from the Beatriz Milhazes Exhibition Supporters’ Circle.
About Beatriz Milhazes
“My endearments are made of the breath and speed of the forests, the flowers, the leaves. The power of the waves, the water, the oceans. The fascinating animal shapes. The movement of the Earth’s rotation, the Sun, the Moon, day, night, the sky, global connectivity.”
