Being a recurring motif since early in her career, the azulejo [tile] forms a significant aspect of  Varejão’s work and her use of it is as hybrid as her art. This characteristic element of Portuguese decoration carries a variety of influences ranging from Moorish artisans through to Dutch Delftware and Chinese ceramics. Introduced to Brazilian culture by the Portuguese during the colonial period, the tile can be seen as an allegory for cultural integration. Pearl Song II, 2019, is one of Varejão’s most recent series of Monochromes inspired by ceramics from the Chinese Song dynasty, with its delineation of cracks on the surface of the work created in part by chance. This piece was recently shown as part of the acclaimed exhibition Interiorities at Haus der Kunst, Munich.

Born in 1964, Adriana Varejão currently lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2019, the major exhibitions Adriana Varejão: Por uma retórica canibal, curated by Luisa Duarte, opened at the Museum of Modern Art, Salvador, and Adriana Varejão: Otros cuerpos detrás opened at the Museo Tamayo, Mexico City. Previously, a major retrospective of the artist’s work, Histórias às margens (Histories at the margins), was displayed at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, São Paulo (2012). The artist’s work has been widely exhibited within large-scale group exhibitions in institutions including Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany (2019–2020); Met Breuer, New York, USA (2019); and Fondation Cartier, Paris (2019). A permanent pavilion devoted to Adriana Varejão’s work opened in 2008 at Instituto Inhotim in Brazil. An element of the installation was interpreted for a major commission for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.