How to Grow a Flower from a Supernova

Opera Gallery Paris presents ‘How to Grow a Flower from a Supernova’, an exhibition of new paintings and charcoal drawings by Brazilian artist Gustavo Nazareno. The series, shown during Paris Couture Week, merges devotional imagery with the symbolic and structural language of fashion. Nazareno's works are an offering to Pombagira, a feminine entity in Candomblé, a religion he practices. Pombagira, associated with beauty, seduction, autonomy, and power, serves as both subject and framework, representing a fusion of spirituality, performance, and beauty for the artist.

The figures in the exhibition are situated against the backdrop of an imagined planet, complete with its own weather, light, shadows, and inhabitants, reflecting Nazareno's exploration of astrophysics. One featured piece, "Minutes Before Jupiter Saves Earth from a Comet," is described by the artist as a metaphor for the exhibition's central narrative. It depicts seven brides running away, with Jupiter acting as a cosmic protector and Earth representing earthly deities, in a symbolic universe where celestial movement, Afro-Brazilian spirituality, and couture drama converge.