The rhinoceros gallery in Rome, in collaboration with the Brazilian gallery A Gentil Carioca, presents a new series of artworks by Brazilian artist Miguel Afa. The exhibit is titled 'O tempo que mora em mim,' which translates to 'The Time that Lives in Me,' and is on view from March 24 to June 3, 2026.
Miguel Afa created these paintings specifically during his stay in Rome. He draws from personal experiences in the city where body, memory, and place intersect in fresh configurations. His work reflects affective experiences that shape his perception of time, incorporating landscapes and everyday moments from both Brazil and Italy, memories shared with loved ones, and encounters with Italian art history, including the influence of Caravaggio. The recurring image of the courtyard appears throughout the compositions as a meaningful space tied to emotional life, echoing Brazilian poet Manoel de Barros's idea that small spaces like courtyards can contain vast worlds.
Collaborative Brazilian Exhibitions
The rhinoceros gallery and a Gentil Carioca Present Miguel Afa
Trend Themes
1. Cross-border Gallery Collaborations - Hybrid exhibition models blending regional narratives and international curatorial practices create pathways for novel distribution and audience-building approaches.
2. Residency-driven Site-specific Work - Artist residencies that produce work rooted in a host city enable place-responsive creative outputs that redefine how exhibitions tie memory and locality to market value.
3. Emotional Cartography in Art - Artworks mapping affective experiences and intimate geographies open possibilities for experiences and products that translate personal memory into shareable cultural formats.
Industry Implications
1. Contemporary Art Galleries - Galleries experimenting with co-curation and transnational programming can reshape revenue streams and exhibition lifecycles by prioritizing narrative-driven, itinerant shows.
2. Cultural Tourism - City-to-city cultural exchange events that foreground lived experiences offer differentiated visitor experiences linked to storytelling and localized heritage interpretation.
3. Art-based Mental Health Services - Therapeutic programs that integrate memory-focused art practices present alternative modalities for wellbeing that center narrative, place, and embodied recollection.