RIO DE JANEIRO.- Gentil Carioca is presenting Abre Alas 21 (2026), celebrating the 21st edition of a project that is a fundamental part of the gallery's history and identity. Since 2005, Abre Alas has inaugurated our annual exhibition calendar and reaffirmed, with each edition, the desire to open paths, create encounters, and closely follow the birth and maturation of new trajectories in contemporary art.
In this edition, the selection committee—formed by Felipe Molitor, Lena Solà Nogué, and Ramon Martins—chose 14 artists whose research reveals the diversity of contexts, languages, and affections that traverse current artistic production:
Ana Luiza Domicent, Ana V. Lopes, David Caicedo Alzate, Felipe Braga, Jean Deffense, Leticia Morgan, Lucas Emanuel, Lucas Speranza, Oriana Pérez, Sheila Kracochansky, Telma Gadelha, Thatiane Mendes, Vicente Baltar, and Yara Ligiéro.
Together, these practices form a plural field of listening, experimentation, and exchange, reflecting Abre Alas's vocation as a large living network.
How it all began
The project began in 2004, when, at the end of the gallery's first year, Márcio Botner, Laura Lima, and Ernesto Neto realized the wealth contained in the approximately 200 portfolios received from artists from all over Brazil. This led to the desire to transform this gathering into an annual exhibition, traditionally held close to Carnival, symbolically opening the exhibition year at A Gentil Carioca.
The name Abre Alas refers to the float that leads the samba school parades—an image of passage, celebration, and movement. Initially created to give space to young artists, the project has expanded over the years, also welcoming artists from different parts of the world. Since 2010, guest curators have participated in the selection process, adding perspectives and strengthening dialogue.
More than an exhibition, Abre Alas is a continuous gesture of care, listening, and celebration. It is a space where encounters take place and where we follow, with affection and pride, the many paths that open up from here.
