Starting August 19, the Correios Cultural Center will host the exhibition *Inefável Presença*. The show brings together works by nine artists whose creative practice was enriched by their time together and learning at the Ateliê Oruniyá, located in Tijuca. Read more here!
Works that explore landscape, memory, nature, the sacred, and everyday life
Curated by Ayla de Oliveira, the exhibition features works by Anna Lívia Taborda Monahan, Ayla de Oliveira, Laura Ribeiro de Castro, Maria Victória Santos, Paula Siebra, Nelson Macedo, Ana Moura, Lucas Moura, and Renato Alvim.
These are drawings and oil paintings that stem from individual investigations but share a studio practice, the study of pictorial tradition, and an understanding of painting as a field of transmission, dialogue, and continuity.
Thus, the works depict recognizable landscapes that transform into dreamlike atmospheres. One can also recognize female figures that blend into nature and shells that become symbols of protection and memory.
Furthermore, everyday scenes reveal the popular imagination, and light brings forth portals, silhouettes, and apparitions. In other words, the exhibition offers visitors an experience in which matter, color, and image need not be confined to a single explanation.
The group of artists met at the Rio School of Fine Arts
The group’s journey began in 2017 at the School of Fine Arts of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), where Nelson Macedo served as a professor of life drawing.
Following this meeting, the students began attending her studio and also met the artist and teacher Ana Moura. For seven years, the weekly sessions brought together Anna Lívia Taborda Monahan, Ayla de Oliveira, Laura Ribeiro de Castro, Maria Victória Santos, and Paula Siebra under the guidance of Nelson and Ana, with support from Lucas Moura and Renato Alvim.
Thus, Monday nights went beyond traditional drawing and painting classes. The practice was accompanied by conversations about cinema, poetry, folk art, and art history, as well as direct engagement with texts and references from Brazilian artists and various traditions.
What began as a painting class has evolved into a community of artists united by the continuous practice of observation and the exploration of the image.
Regarding the exhibition, the title brings together two central ideas: the ineffable—that which cannot be fully expressed in words—and presence—that which manifests itself and offers itself to encounter.
Thus, the painting emerges as a presence revealed through material, color, light, and the relationship between the work and the viewer. Rather than demanding an immediate interpretation, it invites the public to slow down and linger before the images.
The exhibition “Inefável Presença” runs from August 19 to October 10 at the Correios Cultural Center. Admission is free!
Exhibition: “Inefável Presença”
📍Correios Cultural Center | Rua Visconde de Itaboraí, 20 – Downtown
📅August 19–October 10, 2026
🕛Tuesday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
💵Free admission
