Austin Martin White: the lusophile

Through paintings and works on paper, White investigates the construction of historical memory, exploring postcolonial histories and the ways images shape cultural narratives while addressing the unstable boundary between historical fact, national myth, and cultural identity. At the core of the exhibition is the legacy of the Brazilian Baroque sculptor Antônio Francisco Lisboa (c. 1738–1814), known as Aleijadinho, whose biography has long oscillated between documented history and legend. White presents portraits of the artist alongside depictions of his prophet sculptures at the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos in Congonhas. Other paintings draw on the woodcut covers of literatura de cordel, the popular printed booklets of Northeastern Brazil in which folklore, religion, politics, and history converge.

Working with polyethylene film, screen mesh, pigment, rubber, vinyl, and spray paint, White creates layered surfaces that reflect the fragmented, mediated nature of historical narratives, inviting viewers to consider how stories are constructed, circulated, and ultimately believed.