69salon by KORNFELD
January 15 – February 28, 2026
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From 15 January to 28 February 2026, KORNFELD Galerie, 68projects by KORNFELD, and 69salon by KORNFELD will present three exhibitions in Berlin, each conceptually and aesthetically intertwined. Together, they form a multifaceted panorama of artistic explorations of rhythm, perception, and cultural identity—set within the dynamic interplay between Brazil and Germany. The program is curated by art historian Tereza de Arruda.
A subtle yet powerful dialogue unfolds between the exhibitions: while Dieter Jung’s “Life of Colors“ creates a universal space of resonance in which light and color become carriers of a timeless rhythm, “Rhythm & Soul“ and “Rhythm & Skin“ reveal the polyphony of contemporary Brazilian art.
Amid the depths of the Berlin winter, these exhibitions open a sensual and conceptual counterpoint to the concurrent Carnival season in Brazil. While rhythm, movement, and collective joy animate the streets there, a different kind of energy takes shape in Berlin: a reflection on the social, cultural, and spiritual forces that shape—and challenge—Brazilian society.
Carnival in Brasil serves as a metaphorical point of departure—an expression of popular culture that gives visibility to those who are often unheard, transforming itself into a socio-political field. The three simultaneous exhibitions together form a curatorial fabric woven from dialogue, memory, and transformation.
They connect the collective with the individual, the material with the immaterial, the Brazilian with the global. The exhibtions are under the patronage of the Brazilian Embassy in Berlin and the Instituto Guimarães Rosa.
OBastardo – Rhythm & Skin
The artist OBastardo, featured in the group exhibition, “Rhythm & Soul“, simultaneously presents his first solo exhibition in Europe, “Rhythm & Skin“, at 69salon by KORNFELD. His works depict a society reflected in its own multiplicity: fragmented, rhythmic, alive. OBastardo’s painting is among the defining voices of a young Afro-Brazilian generation, embodying an art that creates visibility, understands bodies as carriers of history, and expresses a soul that refuses to be silenced.
“Rhythm & Skin“ is the result of his residency with 68projects by KORNFELD from October to December 2025. The exhibition is complemented by works recently created in Brazil. His portraits possess an immediate force that resonates both aesthetically and politically. Within his paintings, we encounter faces and bodies that appear simultaneously individual and collective— portraits of a society in which history, resistance, and future are inseparably intertwined. His symbolic visual language draws deeply from Afro-Brazilian culture. Colors, patterns, and gestures carry dual meanings: they signify personal identity while also functioning as ciphers of collective memory. The figures rarely meet the viewer’s gaze directly—they exist in a space between pride, melancholy, and spiritual strength.
OBastardo develops a hybrid painting technique that merges gestural composition with elements of urban visual language. His works are built on a powerful graphic structure, shaped by precise lines, striking contours, and an intense, rhythmic palette that echoes visual codes of the street, hip-hop culture, and Afro-diasporic aesthetics. The surface unfolds in multiple layers: on vividly colored, often irregularly applied backgrounds, the artist constructs stylized figures, symbols, and recurring patterns. Drawn elements remain visible, giving the works a spontaneous, gestural quality.
During his time in Berlin, OBastardo incorporated new components that further emphasize the conceptual layers of his practice—such as a nuanced spectrum of skin tones reflecting the complex fabric of Brazilian society. The depicted individuals are deliberately anonymized and freed from their real-world identities. Symbols of his Orixá Oxalufan frequently appear—revered as the creator of the universe and humanity, associated with peace, creation, and equilibrium, and closely linked to the color white. These symbols often emerge as central elements that permeate and protect the entire composition.
His paintings render visible the social realities that are often marginalized or overlooked in Brazil: the bodies of the Black population, the energy of the favelas, the spirituality of Candomblé, and the dignity of those who confront inequality every day. OBastardo transforms these themes into a visual poetry that is both indictment and celebration—an homage to survival, beauty, and the right to be seen.
OBastardo (* 1997 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian artist living and working between Rio and Paris. Beginning with graffiti and urban visual culture, he developed during his studies at EAV Parque Lage and later at the Beaux-Arts de Paris a figurative language centered on questions of identity, belonging, and Black everyday culture. His paintings merge autobiographical experience with social observation, transforming personal and collective narratives into powerful visual statements. His work reflects empowerment, social realities, and an aesthetic consciously positioned against marginalizing visual regimes. His most important exhibitions include Pretos de Griffe (Casa Triângulo, São Paulo, 2021/22), Forrobodó(A Gentil Carioca, Rio de Janeiro, 2023/24), and My Black Utopia (A Gentil Carioca, São Paulo, 2024/25). His works are represented in international private collections and presented by leading galleries such as Casa Triângulo and A Gentil Carioca.
69salon by KORNFELD
Fasanenstr. 69, D-10719 Berlin
Opening: Thursday, 15 January 2026 | 6–9 pm
Exhibition: 15 January – 28 February 2026 | 11 am–6 pm