Gemeos, os

Brazilian twin brothers Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo, best known as Os Gemeos, are credited as leaders of graffiti and urban art in Brazil. Quirky, yellow, oblong-headed figures have become their visual signature. Their narrative paintings and drawings synthesize their everyday lives, one defined by the color and chaos of urban Brazil, as well as rural festivals, music and folk art all of which inspire fantastical portraits. Os Gemeos is pub- lished on the occasion of their exhibition at The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, August 1-November 25, 2012. Paintings from the Exhibition at ICA Boston are of course featured, but the chapters Studio Work, Drawings and Outdoor Work make evident why Otavio and Gustavo have risen to international prominence, both in the gallery and the streets. The oversize format allows the reader to fully enjoy the colors and forms that have endeared The Twins to street art aficionados and gallery-goers alike. Despite being intimately linked to the international graffiti scene and its practitioners, Os Gemeos unabashedly paint for the people. Their murals, which grace cities around the world, critique social inequity and aspire to create hope. Os Gemeos' poetic vision of the world is difficult to label: they are not solely graffiti artists, but unpredictable and visionary figurative artists who share their intimate world with the public through painting, sculpture and installations.