Breathe

Breathe shows a man with his head tilted back and his eyes closed, one arm raised over his head, as a white gull glides across the lower half of his face and another bird spreads its wings above. The figure is drawn in black and grey against a pale ground.

The bird passes exactly where breath would be, giving the title its tension. Ritchelly Oliveira renders feathers and skin with near-photographic charcoal, then lets the torso and edges of the image fade, so that the figure is partly present and partly withdrawn.

Unique work, charcoal and acrylic on canvas, 120 × 90 cm (47.2 × 35.4 in), larger than life. Born in Brazil in 1993 and trained in Visual Arts at the Federal University of Goiás, Ritchelly Oliveira has worked with the human figure since 2012. His work has been exhibited in Goiânia, Berlin, Miami, New York and Los Angeles, including the solo exhibition Fragility at La Brea Studio in 2023, and has appeared in international art publications such as Beautiful Bizarre.

Available for private viewing at Tilsitt Gallery in Porto, or worldwide delivery upon inquiry.