Maria Nepomuceno

Expiro marks the fifth exhibition by the Brazilian artist at Victoria Miro and is her first in the gallery’s space in Venice.

The title of the exhibition is derived from a work by the artist of the same name: Expiro, a Portuguese word chosen for its similarity, in sound and meaning, to the Italian espiro, to exhale, which in turn relates to the traditional glassblowing techniques used for the first time by the artist in the creation of these works.

The exhibition features new works created this summer during a residency with the gallery in Venice that draw connections between manufacturing processes in Venice and Brazil and incorporate diverse materials including Venetian glass. Nepomuceno collaborated with the Venetian glass master Giancarlo Signoretto on Murano Island to create intricate glass pieces that are incorporated into her new sculptures. The artist was inspired by the way that each breath infuses molten glass with life, and how the tension between breath and material captures the beauty and fragility of a given moment.