Contemporary art talent - chosen so you don't have to...

André Komatsu

Practice: sculpture, installation, drawing

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Not all of the artists featured on artbroth are emerging in the strictest sense; several are already well-known in their home countries, but only just beginning to attract attention on the wider, international art scene.

Such is the case with Brazilian artist André Komatsu, whose work has been shown consistently throughout Brazil for the last decade, but until recently was far less well known elsewhere.

Komatsu deals with themes of regeneration, focussing particularly on the physical redevelopment of urban space as a wider metaphor for "... man, nature or architecture in a continuous process of change".

His earliest works and performances tend towards a fairly literal interpretation of these interests by, for example, repurposing the "... materials of construction and deconstruction" into platforms for drawing, painting and assemblage. His current production, however, is more complex both spatially and conceptually.

Interest in Brazilian art has grown considerably over the last decade, and now looks set to accelerate rapidly.

This is not only due to its consistent quality, but also its unusually resilient recent auction record.

Whereas most global art markets slumped in the wake of the 2008-2009 economic crisis, Brazilian art sales recorded a 38 percent increase from 2008 to 2009, and continue to outperform many more established sectors.

Other Latin American markets are starting to show similar strengths - making artists from the region worth watching in every respect.