ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Gabriel Massan's 'Third World' at Serpentine Gallery Challenges Colonial Narratives with Decolonial Videogame

exhibition · 2026-04-20

At Serpentine North in London, Gabriel Massan presents 'Third World: The Bottom Dimension,' a showcase that delves into the Black Brazilian experience shaped by colonialism's effects on both tangible and digital realms. The exhibition includes contributions from artists Ventura Profana, Novíssimo Edgar, and Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro, featuring a blend of photomontages, painted masks, textile hangings, and installations that fuse Afro-Brazilian religious symbols with elements of pop culture. Massan's interactive game, Igba Tingbo, challenges players to traverse dreamlike environments, gather energy crystals, and face ecological issues, drawing inspiration from Paulo Freire's 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed' (1968). Running until 22 October, the exhibition juxtaposes traditional cultural perspectives against industrial progress.

Key facts

  • Gabriel Massan's exhibition 'Third World: The Bottom Dimension' runs through 22 October at Serpentine North in London
  • The exhibition features a decolonial videogame platform as its centerpiece with five African-diaspora Brazilian artist collaborators
  • Collaborating artists include Ventura Profana, Novíssimo Edgar, and Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro
  • Massan's game 'Third World' explores Black Brazilian experience intersecting with colonialism's ramifications across physical and digital realities
  • Players navigate surreal landscapes in virtual world Igba Tingbo, making choices about extracting mythical objects that affect ecological balance
  • The exhibition references Paulo Freire's 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed' (1968) as an influence on its decolonial framework
  • Works include Ventura Profana's photomontage referencing Brazil's 2015 Mariana dam disaster and Michelangelo's 'Creation of Adam'
  • Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro's installation 'Attitudes of Time I' (2023) features tall logs on earth rectangles with white cloths signifying spiritual world

Entities

Artists

  • Gabriel Massan
  • Ventura Profana
  • Novíssimo Edgar
  • Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro
  • Paulo Freire
  • Michelangelo

Institutions

  • Serpentine Gallery
  • Serpentine North
  • ArtReview

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Brazil

Sources