Predizione Perdizione João Vilhena

Memories and fragments, anonymous and timeless, inspire the works on view in ‘Predizione Perdizione,’ a solo show by Portuguese artist Joāo Vilhena, on view at our Venetian gallery from 20 September to 22 November 2025.
 

Playing with words, images and techniques, Vilhena explores historical memory and contemporary concerns in a dialogue between past and present, in which the hybris of the human being is revealed as reiterating.
 

Through newly created works, the artist invites us to look beyond the surface, to discover hidden layers and to reflect on the human condition: among ruins and life impulses, it’s the return of the darkest times in history.
 

Gifted with exceptional technique and sharp wit, João Vilhena creates visual universes in which the observer’s gaze plays a central role in giving meaning to the artwork itself: his drawings work as perceptual spaces where interpretation is nuanced, misread, and deferred. Between the known and the unknown, Vilhena’s pieces challenge the viewer with a constant shift in meanings and forms. By combining real and imaginary elements, his large-format drawings - executed in black graphite on grey cardboard - invite us to question our understanding of the visible world.
 

The exhibition will be accompanied by a text by art critic and curator Tristan Trémeau.