Throughout her vibrant, kaleidoscopic paintings, Thalita Hamaoui (b. 1981; São Paulo, Brazil) imagines fantastical, overgrown landscapes that glow with a rich, internal luminosity. Building her work layer upon layer, Hamaoui conjures dense jungles amidst constant transformation—each element of the landscape seemingly poised on the verge of change: growing, blooming, evolving. Devoid of humans and animals, these landscapes nevertheless teem with lush botanical life—chimerical flowers and trees growing out of rugged, gestural hillsides. Characterized by rich, saturated color palettes, layered linework, and rhythmic repetition of forms, Hamaoui’s work is an intoxicating venture into a surreal, dreamlike realm.
Hamaoui began her career as a sculptor, studying under renowned Brazilian artist Sandra Cinto. After completing her studies, Hamaoui began working in textile printing—where she focused on color and organic form. In the early 2010s, however, Hamaoui turned her attention to painting, experimenting with watercolor and gouache before committing to oil—which offers a rich depth for her powerful gestures. Hamaoui frequently works on multiple canvases simultaneously, covering the walls of her studio completely, the paintings forming a dialogue of their own as the artist works.
Hamaoui’s work was the subject of a solo exhibition at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil in 2023, NowHere, Lison, Portugal in 2019, and at the Centro Cultural São Paulo, Brazil in 2017. Her work has been featured in group exhibitions throughout South America, Europe and the United States, including Sublime Spirit, a summer group exhibition at Marianne Boesky Gallery in 2024. Hamaoui completed the Pivô Artist Residency in São Paulo in 2018. Her work is included in the collection of the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hamaoui studied Fine Art at the Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado; she lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil.