João Gabriel

João Gabriel. Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Gallery, Portugal.

João Gabriel, Untitled, 2024, Oil on canvas, 145 x 170 cm (57.1 x 67 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled (detail), 2024, Oil on canvas, 145 x 170 cm (57.1 x 67 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled, 2025, Oil on paper, 81.3 x 117 cm (32 x 46 in). Photo: Lok Hang Wu. Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled (detail), 2025, Oil on paper, 81.3 x 117 cm (32 x 46 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled, 2025, Oil on paper, 83.5 x 68.5 cm (32.9 x 27 in). Photo: Lok Hang Wu. Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled (detail), 2025, Oil on canvas, 83.5 x 68.5 cm (32.9 x 27 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled (detail), 2025, Oil on canvas,83.5 x 68.5 cm (32.9 x 27 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled, 2025, Oil on paper, 67.5 x 102.5 cm (26.6 x 40.4 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled (detail), 2025, Oil on paper, 67.5 x 102.5 cm (26.6 x 40.4 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled, 2025, Oil on canvas, 67 x 100 cm (26.4 x 39.4 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled (detail), 2025, Oil on canvas, 67 x 100 cm (26.4 x 39.4 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled, 2025, Oil on paper, 68 x 52 cm (26.8 x 20.5 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

João Gabriel, Untitled (detail), 2025, Oil on paper, 68 x 52 cm (26.8 x 20.5 in). Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Gallery, Portugal and PODIUM, Hong Kong.

Biography
Disinterested in the contemporary ideals of masculinity and their portrayals, João Gabriel (b. 1992 in Leiria, lives and works in Caldas da Rainha) departs from the gay pornography in the 1970s pre-AIDS era to re-address the representation of the male body. Through his dreamy impressionist brushstrokes, he softens the unflinching eroticism of the pornographic imageries, shedding light on the intriguing visual coyness and estrangement, where poetic tenderness and emotional ambivalence slowly overflow through his evocative portrayals. His constant revisiting of the pre-AIDS era speaks to a notion of inherited trauma and a desire to question the boundaries of joy, fear, and sexuality in contemporary queer culture. His recent solo exhibitions include Cinematic Art Gallery, Vila do Conde (2024), Lehmann + Silva, Cologne, Germany (2024), O-Town House, Los Angeles (2023), and Mind Set Art Center, Taipei (2022). He has also participated in group exhibitions at Biblioteca da ESAD.CR, Leiria and Caldas da Rainha (2024), Twee Jonge Gezellen, Tulbagh (2024), ARCOLisboa, Lisbon (2023), Cloud Seven, Brussel (2023), DEBORAH SCHAMONI gallery, Munich (2022), Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Elvas (2022), Mind Set Art Center, Taipei (2021), among others.

View CV

Works

João Gabriel
Untitled
2024
Oil on canvas
145 x 170 cm | 57.1 x 67 in

INQUIRE

João Gabriel
Untitled
2025
Oil on paper
66 x 101.5 cm | 26 x 40 in

INQUIRE

João Gabriel
Untitled
2025
Oil on paper
68 x 53 cm | 26.8 x 20.9 in

INQUIRE

João Gabriel
Untitled
2025
Oil on paper
68 x 52 cm | 26.8 x 20.5 in

INQUIRE

João Gabriel
Untitled
2025
Oil on paper
67.5 x 102.5 cm | 26.6 x 40.4 in

INQUIRE

João Gabriel
Untitled
2025
Oil on paper
67 x 100 cm | 26.4 x 39.4 in