Sharjah: Sharjah Art Foundation is set to present the most comprehensive solo exhibition to date of celebrated Brazilian artist Leda Catunda outside her home country. Titled Leda Catunda: I like to like what others are liking, the exhibition will run from 26 September 2025 to 8 February 2026 at Galleries 4 and 5, Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah.
Curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, Director and President of Sharjah Art Foundation, with Meera Madhu, Curatorial Assistant, the exhibition spans over four decades of Catunda’s groundbreaking practice. From her earliest works of the 1980s to her most recent explorations, the presentation traces Catunda’s transformation from figurative painting into experimental hybrid forms that blur the boundaries of painting, sculpture, and installation.
Known for her distinctive “soft paintings” created from unconventional materials such as toweling, bedclothes, leather, velvet, and silk, Catunda’s work offers a playful yet incisive critique of consumer culture and the excesses of modern life. Her large-scale installations, lush abstract compositions, and delicate watercolours all highlight her process-driven approach and her ongoing negotiation between the handmade and the mass-produced.
The exhibition title, drawn from the artist’s own words, speaks to the entanglement of taste, identity, and desire in a world saturated with images and objects: “I like to like what others are liking.” Through this lens, Catunda’s work offers not only a witty cultural commentary but also a poetic reclamation of the everyday.
A central figure in Brazil’s 1980s art scene, Catunda redefined the relationship between painting and sculpture, introducing organic, bulging forms and richly ornamented surfaces that continue to influence generations of artists. This Sharjah exhibition marks her largest monographic presentation outside Brazil, offering audiences in the UAE and the region a rare opportunity to experience her influential practice firsthand.
Event Details
📅 Dates: 26 September 2025 – 8 February 2026
📍 Venue: Galleries 4 and 5, Al Mureijah Square, Sharjah
🎟️ Booking: Available now through Sharjah Art Foundation
Image:
Leda Catunda, Duas árvores, 2009. Private Collection. Courtesy of the artist and Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro