Adriana Varejão's New Azulejos at Gagosian Rome

Adriana Varejão presents her largest ceramic works to date at Gagosian Gallery in Rome, marking a stylistic shift in her practice. The exhibition, titled 'Azulejão,' features maiolica tiles measuring 180 square centimeters each, displayed in the gallery's bright space. While retaining her signature azulejo motifs, Varejão moves away from the grotesque and sarcastic elements that previously revealed pulsating flesh beneath the tiles, instead incorporating static plaster cracks that suggest sedimented emotion. The new works evoke classical Portuguese azulejos with white, blue, and yellow glazes, but sublimate them into novel forms. The show runs until December 10, 2016, at Gagosian's Via Francesco Crispi location.