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Written by Lucy Coker
Os Gemeos are notorious for their dreamlike surreal graffiti art that adorns the streets of numerous cities across the world with yellow faced figures. Now the leading artists in the Brazilian street art community, these identical twin brothers have a distinct style that incorporates everything from folklore to the current political struggles of Brazil.
From the Streets of São Paulo
In 1987 the Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo began painting graffiti and soon became a leading influence in the local street art scene. Starting out as break-dancers and then turning to street art, Os Gêmeos were influenced by a range of areas including hip-hop, the Brazilian graffiti movement pixação and Brazilian culture in general. For Brazilian graffiti artists street art was an escape from the city as well as being a way to express their ideas to the vast population of São Paulo. "We turned to graffiti," says one of the brothers, "to escape the chaos of life in São Paulo. The city is a beast that is growing out of control." With the vast divide between rich and poor, the brother’s art gave a voice to the citizens of São Paulo who had no opportunity to speak for themselves.
Initially, it was difficult for the Brazilian twins get their hands on information about hip-hop and street art culture that was developing outside of Brazil. It wasn’t until in 1994, when they met Barry McGee aka “Twist,” the renowned San Francisco street artist, that they had a further insight into the graffiti elements and styles that were being used in America. Following their first interview with "12oz Prophet Magazine" in 1998, Os Gêmeos began to get recognition outside of South America and quickly became a celebrated duo within the street art world.
Yellow Skinned Creatures
Os Gêmeos are most renowned for their almost alien creatures with yellow skin. According to the brothers, this inclination to a certain color is in connection with a tradition of São Paulo writers who each have their own color identification: “We started that a long, long time ago, its like identification, like some people do black and white, there is the mystical part too, we believe that we born in the “orange time”, 1974.”
The brothers’ distinctive style combines elements of graffiti, including "spray paint and a counterculture aesthetic," with precise attention to detail in each piece. They incorporate images and concepts from Brazilian folklore whilst addressing current political messages to create not only stunning work but graffiti art with meaning. The strange figures and adaptation of folklore result in the creation of surreal images and suggest an influence of magical realism, a prominent aesthetic style in Latin America during the 60s and 70s.
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| Os Gemeos' yellow figures on a street mural in Brazil |
L.A. Exhibition
The Brazilian graffiti artists recently exhibited their work “Miss You” at Prism Gallery in Los Angeles. Their newest gallery work stunned visitors with elongated yellow heads growing from the floor to become lanterns. The gallery floors and walls were painted a vibrant red which created a dream world of Os Gemeos, unleashing new yellow-faced characters up to their old tricks.
Many artists at Thumbprint Gallery in San Diego share elements of Os Gêmeos’ style. The urban artists affiliated with Thumbprint exhibit unique low brow urban artworks that range from surrealism to stencil art.
You can view and purchase works by Thumbprint Gallery artists at our online store. Check it out here.
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