NEW YORK, NY.- Sous les Etoiles Gallery presents "A Playful Geometry", a selection of works from the Brazilian artist Macaparana (Brazil, b. in 1952) in its gallery space. It is the first exhibition of the artist with the gallery and his first solo show in New York, from September 13th to December 19th, 2025.

In "A Playful Geometry", Brazilian artist Macaparana invites us into a realm where geometry sings. His work is rooted in the Brazilian concrete and neo-concrete art, movements that challenged traditional boundaries between form, perception, and emotion. His compositions unfold like visual scores—each line, plane, and interval charged with quiet tension and lyrical grace. Enchantment arises not from illusion, but from the precision of balance and the poetics of restraint.

“My process of working is always very spontaneous, and I prefer starting some work in a freeway, without any kind of sketch done before. I like very much being challenged by the work itself. When I start working, the manufacturing process is very calm and fast because I want to see the results of it. I think the mathematical method is always in the creative process and I believe that the intuitive way is the most beautiful thing because you can see, feel everything around you in a very particular way and use the poetic language together with music", explains the artist.

At the core of Macaparana’s artistic vision lies a dynamic conversation between geometry and rythm—a dialogue that recalls the groundbreaking work of early 20th-century pioneers of abstraction, foremost among them Jean (Jan) Arp, to whom Macaparana dedicates several works presented for the first time in this exhibition.

Macaparana works in series and with several materials, wire, cardboard, paper, wood. Each of his series begins with a search for the sensitive rather than the rational. Although the final result seems to be achieved with an intense desire for perfection, the energy behind his delicate works remains sensitive: Macaparana creates poetry with light, affection, and gesture. The sophistication of his creations, as well as the exquisite formalism of this singular artist, stem from his family's training.

Macaparana was born José de Souza Oliveira Filho in the state of Pernambuco in 1952. He began drawing at a very young age: the boredom of a long convalescence allowed him to discover the joy of inventing worlds with a piece of paper and a handful of colored pencils. Young José learned to develop his artistic skills in his father's sewing workshop: fascinated by colored chalks, patterns, measuring tapes, sewing thread, and needles, the boy played with pure forms. His grandfather, the other artisan in the family, made cardboard suitcases, still produced in the same way in northeast Brazil. These two non-academic schools inspired young José's passion for craftsmanship and trained his eye to focus on small details, and patiently, cut by cut, fold by fold, Macaparana creates joy.