“Irmandade” Exhibition featuring Ibraim Nascimento

This exhibition illustrates the bond between brothers, sisters and the deeper connection between diverse people. Irmandade is the Portuguese word for brotherhood, the bond of kinship.Using the lines of thread as an analogy for connection and reconnection, the artist connects each canvas with red thread. On the canvases are images of Black people connected to each other by blood and ancestry. Sometimes these threads signify a search for something deeper, perhaps belonging, self, a lost connection or a confirmation of the existence of this concept.
Ibraim Nascimento is an Afro-Brazilian artist from the Recôncavo region of Bahia. He studied fine arts at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), but has been an artist since childhood. Although his work is deeply connected to Brazil, he has rediscovered himself in Houston’s Black and Latinx art communities. Ibraim is also an artist-activist linked to the defense of indigenous rights in Brazil, having collaborated with organizations such as Greenpeace, APIB-Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil, the Rainforest Foundation, and other institutions in Brazil and the US. Ibraim is known for his vibrant paintings, performances, and large-scale ephemeral sculptures that often feature audience participation. His work is rich in soul, culture and tradition, and each project shares a piece of his journey, from his creation in Bahia to his migration to the United States.