Paulo Nimer Pjota Brings Hip-Hop Sampling to South London Gallery

Brazilian painter Paulo Nimer Pjota, 37, opens his first UK institutional solo show 'Encantados' at South London Gallery, running from 1 May to 23 August. The exhibition features 11 new paintings on canvas alongside a vast wall drawing. Pjota, who started graffiti at age 13 in São José do Rio Prêto, compares his artistic process to a hip-hop producer, sampling imagery from mythology, Brazilian folklore, art history, and children's literature. His works incorporate layers of acrylic, oil, and tempera, creating a shimmering surface with recurring motifs such as gods, fish, flowers, and fantastical creatures. The wall painting references his youth in the graffiti and hip-hop scene, where he learned from artists like Os Gêmeos, Ise, and Nunca. Pjota sold his first painting at 15 through a community project with the Workers' Party (PT). He moved to São Paulo at 17 for art college and had his first exhibition at Mendes Wood DM in 2012. His studio, once his bedsit, is filled with trinkets, gourds, skulls, and skateboards. Pjota notes that his latest work has a stronger narrative, using juxtapositions as tools to construct a mythical universe rather than as the main purpose.