About the Artist
Rodrigo Ferrari-Nunes, PhD.
I am a self-taught artist and trained anthropologist (PhD, University of Aberdeen), originally from São Paulo, Brazil, and currently based in Portugal. My artistic practice began in 2009 and has since unfolded independently of art schools, residencies, or gallery exhibitions.
I have developed a diverse body of work, including white-on-black and black-on-white drawings, acrylic paintings, textural relief compositions, and pieces in soft and oil pastels. Working through an intuitive and meditative process, my art emerges without pre-planned imagery or formal instruction. Many of these works have circulated informally among friends and are held in private collections in Brazil and Canada. Only in 2025 have I begun to present this practice publicly.
Alongside my visual work, I am also a published anthropologist and multi-instrumental musician. My independent academic research now focuses on Indigenous cosmologies, symbolic systems, and epistemological critique. I conducted fieldwork in the Shetland Islands (Scotland), Brazil, and British Columbia. As a composer and producer, I create original music that often intersects with the philosophical threads running through my writing and visual art.
My art resists literal representation and embraces intuitive abstraction. My compositions explore inner cartographies, meditative rhythms, and symbolic layering. They often fuse architectural structure with organic flow, producing a visual language that is at once precise and open-ended. Across varied materials — from graphite on paper to acrylic on canvas — my artwork evokes spatial diagrams, emotional schemas, and sensory pathways.
Some observers have noted affinities with artists like Hilma af Klint and Emma Kunz (in their spiritual geometries), Paul Klee (in his musical and architectural improvisations), and Agnes Martin (in her disciplined repetition). Yet I distinguish myself by resisting transcendence or resolution. My works unfold as perceptual fields rather than messages, inviting contemplative engagement. This open-endedness is both philosophical and political. As an anthropologist, I question imposed systems of meaning. My visual art reflects this stance: it does not assert, but reveals. Each piece is a gesture of attention, a rhythm of emergence. My refusal of symbolic closure becomes a method of inquiry.
Ongoing cataloguing efforts include larger works, pastel compositions, and textured pieces, with plans for limited edition prints and curated exhibitions. As this body of work expands, it continues to deepen its dialogue with traditions of non-figurative, introspective, and process-based art. Through it, I contribute a singular voice — contemplative, precise, and grounded in both personal vision and critical thought.
Commissions & Exhibitions
I am open to collaborations, commissioned works, and exhibition opportunities. While this online catalogue is currently being expanded, interested curators, collectors, and institutions are welcome to initiate contact to discuss potential projects or view further pieces not yet published on this site.
