In Rome, rhinoceros gallery www.rhinocerosroma.com collaborates with the Brazilian gallery A Gentil Carioca www.agentilcarioca.com.br/en for the first solo exhibition in Italy by artist Miguel Afa, "O tempo que mora em mim" (The time that lives in me), on view from March 24 to June 3, 2026.

The new series of artworks realised by Miguel Afa for rhinoceros features paintings conceived and created in Rome specifically for this exhibition, reflecting the artist's personal experiences in the city, where body, memory, and place intertwine in new ways. Known for his deeply human approach, Afa structures his work around affective experiences that shape his perception of time. Among these emerge landscapes and moments of everyday life in both Brazil and Italy, memories shared with loved ones, and encounters with Italian art history, particularly the work of Caravaggio. In this sense, time acquires a material dimension, revealing different ways of contemplating its passage through objects and transitions. "O tempo que mora em mim" (The time that lives in me) connects these relationships between life, memory, and place. As the artist states: "Memory is a body: nostalgia (saudade) is a courtyard," evoking an affective space where memories, experiences, and desires intersect. 

Landscape and the affective dimension are central elements in Afa's work. During his stay in Rome, the artist depicts environments and architectural structures drawn from both nearby and distant geographical contexts. Some of these places evoke a dialogue between spaces linked to Rio de Janeiro, his hometown in Brazil, and those encountered during his stay in Rome. While some works are based on photographs, others originate exclusively from the artist's memory. A recurring element in his practice, the image of the courtyard often appears in the compositions as a meaningful space associated with the sentimental sphere. Brazilian poet Manoel de Barros suggests that vast worlds exist within small spaces such as the courtyard: "I think the courtyard where we played is bigger than the city." This idea resonates in Afa's practice, where intimate and collective spaces are explored through multiple forms, activating memories that traverse different geographies and times. For this series, the artist draws on elements from the world around him, which become a true living archive, preserving traces of passages, movements, and continuities. Painting becomes a symbolic practice: a place of formation, encounter, storytelling, and imagination. 

In engaging with monumentality, historical and artistic heritage, and memory, Afa expands the scale of figures, which often assume impressive dimensions. These paintings assert an expressively monumental presence while focusing on intimate scenes drawn from different moments in life. 

Within this coexistence, the notion of heritage expands to include not only physical structures but also emotional ones. The concept of saudade, intertwined with the artist's experience of time, shapes these images: a memory that moves rather than settles, in which landscapes, body, and affections are continuously renewed. 

In this dialogue between Rome and Rio de Janeiro, the collaboration with A Gentil Carioca naturally fits within the vision of rhinoceros: a place in dialogue with the global community, a window onto the world that creates an ongoing narrative. Miguel Afa's research finds a profound resonance in rhinoceros, in its role as a conduit for intellectual journeys and as a living testimony to the power of cultural, artistic, and architectural synthesis. 

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Where:

rhinoceros gallery
Via del Velabro 9A, Rome, Italy

Dates:

24 March - 3 June 2026
Every day from 11am to 7pm

Contacts:

www.rhinocerosroma.com
gallery@rhinocerosroma.com 
instagram.com/rhinocerosroma

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_{NOTES TO THE EDITORS}

_{Sidival Fila for Miguel Afa}

_{The art of Miguel Afa draws much of its expressive strength from his masterful use of color. His palette is complex and surprising, capable of generating tones rarely encountered in nature. Its magic lies in the ability to transform seemingly "muted" colors into elements of extraordinary power, through a refined and vibrant composition.}

_{At the heart of his research lies an integral vision between the human figure and the surrounding nature: a unity, a single message, a single image. In these works, a delicate and gentle dialogue unfolds between the human being and the rest of creation. There is no assimilation between the human figure and the vegetation: each retains its own autonomy and identity, yet they manage to engage in a remarkable dialogue without betraying themselves. I also sense a strong emotional and affective tension among the elements: the tenderness of gazes, bodies embracing, love emerging as a fusion of spirit and matter, never as the transformation of the other to an object of consumption.}

_{It is rare to encounter in a young artist such technical maturity and the ability to express, through his own language, a vision of the world in which the harmony of elements navigates within a "sea" of poetry and solemnity. In the series of works commissioned for the exhibition by A Gentil Carioca at rhinoceros, Miguel achieves a remarkable synthesis: his artistic language, deeply imbued with Brazilian culture, intertwines with the magic of Rome, its history, its memory, and the passage of time, flowing through gentle brushstrokes imbued with care and attention for the world that surrounds us.}

_{ABOUT RHINOCEROS GALLERY}

_{rhinoceros gallery is located inside rhinoceros, a cultural hub in the heart of Rome conceived by Alda Fendi and designed by Jean Nouvel. The building hosts Fondazione Alda Fendi – Esperimenti, alongside twentyfive apartments spread across six floors, a rooftop bar and a restaurant overlooking the Foro Boario and the Circus Maximus.  rhinoceros gallery, a flexible and hybrid space founded in 2023 by Alessia Caruso Fendi, invites galleries, artists and design and contemporary art institutions to develop temporary projects.  rhinoceros gallery explores a wide range of artistic forms, from visual arts to design, extending from the ground floor into other spaces of the building.}

_{It has presented highly impactful exhibitions, including the show by François Ghebaly gallery, followed by the solo exhibition of French designer Ronan Bouroullec and the group show Profili e Gesti, featuring works by other leading designers, both curated by Galerie kreo. More recently, it also hosted the Paris-based Galerie Nathalie Obadia and the trilogy of exhibitions by the gallery Bigaignon. Invited galleries may bring their own curatorial identity into the space or develop site-specific projects conceived for Rome, sometimes producing works directly in the city. This was the case, for example, with the collaboration between the Brazilian gallery A Gentil Carioca and artist Miguel Afa, who produced the works during his stay at rhinoceros.}

_{Projects are often activated through performances, talks, and collaborations with the city's cultural institutions, creating new connections between the Roman scene and the international landscape.}

_{Through a diverse exhibition program and high-profile collaborations, rhinoceros gallery offers the public an open perspective and experience of the world of contemporary art.}

_{ABOUT MIGUEL AFA}

_{Miguel Afa lives and works in Rio de Janeiro. He began his career in graffiti in 2001, of Complexo do Alemão, and studied at the School of Fine Arts - UFRJ. His work reflects on the peripheral body, contrasting its adversities and proposing a new imagery that enhances and values affection. His works alternate between poetic sensitivity and direct political messages.}

_{The artist's gaze transforms what he captures, giving it an aura of its own through the colors he uses. His muted palette is not merely an aesthetic resource: it is essential to the composition, amplifying the complexity of what is represented. Far from being neutral, color is a discourse and a positioning in relation to the scenes portrayed. Fading is not just a pictorial gesture, but an act of remembrance and questioning, revealing both the visible and the invisible.}

_{In 2025, one of the artist's works was acquired and donated to the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo through the ArtRio Acquisition Program. In the same year, he presented the solo exhibition "O vento continua, todavia", at Paço Imperial in Rio de Janeiro, and "Um céu para caber", at A Gentil Carioca, São Paulo. In 2024, he took part in the group shows "Dos Brasis", at Sesc Quitandinha, Petrópolis (itinerancy of the show also presented at Sesc Belenzinho, São Paulo) and "O que te faz olhar para o céu?", at Centro Cultural Correios Rio de Janeiro. In the same year, he held the solo show "Entra Pra Dentro", at the A Gentil Carioca gallery. In 2023, he held the solo show "Em Construção" and took part in the group show "Da Avenida à Harmonia", both at the Instituto Inclusartiz in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.}

_{His works are part of important collections, including the Pinacoteca de São Paulo (Brazil), the Cheng Lan Foundation (Hong Kong) and the Jorge M. Pérez Collection (USA).}

_{ABOUT A GENTIL CARIOCA}

_{A Gentil Carioca is a contemporary art gallery founded in 2003 by artists Márcio Botner, Ernesto Neto, and Laura Lima. Conceived as a space for thought, production, experimentation, and celebration of art, the gallery carries a unique identity shaped by its artistic origins. In 2019, Elsa Ravazzolo Botner joined as partner and executive director alongside Márcio Botner.}

_{Located in the Historic Center of Rio de Janeiro, in the heart of Saara — the largest open-air market in Latin America — the gallery occupies two iconic buildings from the 1920s. The vibrant surroundings, filled with diverse cultures, objects, and people, nourish the creative energy that defines the gallery's presence.}

_{In 2021, as it celebrated 18 years, A Gentil Carioca expanded its activities and opened a new space in São Paulo, housed in a charming early-20th-century home in Higienópolis. The new venue reinforces the gallery's commitment to fostering dialogue, artistic exchange, and international circulation in one of the world's most multicultural cities.}

_{Diverse since its inception, A Gentil Carioca believes in art as a cultural crucible — capable of radiating knowledge, sensitivity, and transformation. Its spaces operate as hubs that amplify voices, ideas, and practices while strengthening connections among artists, collectors, institutions, and broader audiences.}

_{The gallery participates annually in eight international art fairs and presents around ten exhibitions between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Its artists are featured in major collections and institutions worldwide, contributing to a plural and dynamic artistic ecosystem.}