Exhibition 'Prolific Matter', by Paulo Gaiad, at the Badesc Cultural Foundation

The exposure "Prolific Matterdedicated to the artist's work Paulo Gaiad (1953-2016), will occupy all the spaces of the Badesc Cultural Foundation, in Florianópolis, with about 50 works. The opening of the exhibition of the project 'Entire House Occupied' will be from 19pm on Friday (5). Admission is free.

Curated by Thays Tonin, Victoria Beatriz, Rainara Sofia, Georgia Bergamin, Estela Camillo e Eduarda Andrade, The exhibition is the result of research developed over almost a year in Paulo Gaiad Art Collection, the artist's former studio, now preserved by his family. According to the curators, this exploration of the collection revealed different layers of the artist's production, spanning three decades, and made it possible to bring together works that cross different languages ​​and media, a result of Gaiad's continuous interest.

Among the works gathered for the exhibition are objects, photographs, and drawings, which highlight the use of diverse materials such as plaster, metal, and paper. "This multiplicity of media reveals Gaiad's artistic practice, marked by a refusal to define rigid boundaries between painting, sculpture, or drawing," Victoria points out.

Time, matter and recurrence: the curatorial axis

Recurrence, a transversal aspect of Gaiad's work, was the starting point chosen by the curators to guide the exhibition's narrative. The insistent repetition of symbols—the cross, nude bodies, the serpent, the lizard—and the continuous return of appropriated images and materials, always reconfigured in new appearances, are integral to the artist's works.

The exhibition title itself alludes to the idea of ​​something that multiplies and unfolds in layers, an inexhaustible source of creation present in the artist's trajectory. “Prolific Matter” is an opportunity to revisit Gaiad's work and perceive how his creations multiply in layers of meaning. Each piece carries the trace of the previous one, establishing an infinite conversation between the artist and time,” says Victoria, one of the project's curators.

The exhibition further emphasizes the artist's work's proximity to rites and gestures associated with death, such as relics, tombstones, and vestiges, which are revealed in his creations and engage with intimate and collective memories. Works from series such as "Galicia," "Monument to the Victims of the Discovery of America," and "Divine Comedy - Inferno" showcase Gaiad's critical power and highlight this critical dimension concerning mourning. 

Based in Florianópolis since the 1980s, the artist incorporated wear and corrosion as part of his creative process, anticipating the inevitable encounter between time and matter.

Tribute

Ten years ago, Paulo Gaiad was the first artist to occupy all the spaces of the Badesc Cultural Foundation with the exhibition "Impossibilias: memory and archive in Paulo Gaiad," one of his last exhibitions during his lifetime, as he passed away a few months after its opening in 2016.

For the curators, resuming this occupation now is to reaffirm the power of his work and celebrate his memory, keeping alive the infinite conversation between the artist and time.

“Matéria Prolífica” can be visited until February 19, 2026, Monday to Friday, from 13 pm to 19 pm.

  Start: 05/12/2025 13:00

  End: 19/02/2026 19:00

  Values: free admission.