“We have lots of ideas and things to say, and we’re gradually discovering diferent ways to express them.” - Os Gemeos

Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo, better known as Os Gemeos, (“twins” in Portuguese,) are an influential and compelling duo in the art world. Dynamic and energetic, Os Gemeos’ art is a visual expression of their deep personal connection to each other and encompasses images from their dreams and their urban home in São Paulo. Unlike New York where spray paint, the common medium of urban and street artists, is easily acquired, in Brazil spray paint proved to be costly and lacking in the quality necessary to produce Os Gemeos’ desired colorful and visual effects. “I remember the first time we saw the book Spraycan Art – it was in ’87, ’88, I think. A guy made a photocopy of the book – the whole book photocopied in black and white – and of Subway Art, too, and he wrote down the colors.” (Os Gemeos interviews with Jeffrey Deitch and Ket, “Os Gemeois Talk About How They Became Artists,” Art in the Streets, exh. cat, New York: Rizzoli, Los Angeles: The Museum of Contemporary Art, 2011.) In pursuit of an alternative medium, Os Gemeos instead decided to create their works by utilizing house paint and rollers. Drawing from the vibrant patterns and colors of Brazil, their figures are inspired by a variety of characters: musicians, children, bandits, families, graffiti taggers, typically depicted in unique outfits and dazzling environments. In the present lot, a youth in blue jeans, an intricately pattered red hoodie and green sneakers is standing pigeon-toed with his left hand behind his back clenching a spray paint can, his trigger finger ready to dispense the paint. His right hand in the foreground, he shows the viewer his middle finger. By imposing the figure upon a mirror, Os Gemeos includes the viewer is an immediate participant in the bright, lively and fantastical fun of the scene.