Maxwell Alexandre was born in Rocinha, one of the most populous favelas in Latin America, into an evangelical family. He was a professional street skater for many years and also served in the army. He became acquainted with art during his undergraduate studies in design at Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and soon afterwards entered the art circuit, becoming one of the most prominent young artists in contemporary Brazilian art.

Maxwell Alexandre’s practice often subverts the traditional limits of Western painting, evident in his choice of brown paper – often considered rudimentary – as his main working medium, “ennobled” by his gesture. This choice engages politically with the polysemy of the concept of brown in Brazil. His pictorial compositions emphasize images of Black characters, both real and imaginary, notable for the signs of power and pride they bear, seen in their body posture and the way they dress – without overlooking the fact that these same bodies are subject to state persecution and police violence. With the series Novo poder [New Power], the artist rehearsed a majority-Black occupation of the white cube of museums and galleries, from which they have historically been excluded. He also draws on the influence of national rap poetry by artists such as Djonga, Baco Exu do Blues, and BK, who are part of his repertoire.

Maxwell Alexandre subverts institutional distribution circuits and presents his work in spaces that contemporary art does not usually reach – his own community, Rocinha, among others. This was the case with his installation Encruzilhada [Crossroad] (2021), first exhibited at Paço Imperial and later presented at Morro do Santo Amaro, both in Rio de Janeiro, where it took on a new order and activation through the local community.

For the 36th Bienal de São Paulo, the artist is presenting the installation Galeria 2 [Gallery 2] (2025), from the series Cubo branco [White Cube], once again using polysemy as a conceptual element that names the work and proposes a reflection on one of the most powerful ideologies in the history of Western art. The work is not just an installation but an ongoing dialogue with the very structures that have long governed the narrative of art. To further this reflection, the artist introduces a conceptual painting – an empty golden frame on brown paper – placed within the climate-controlled space usually reserved for historical artworks. The frames he paints on paper and the white cubes he creates carve out space within the lineage of art history that has traditionally depicted beauty. Alexandre’s practice redefines beauty as a radical force – one that challenges historical norms and pushes back against the historical violence of erasure in art history.