Bridging Worlds: Tigo Ayres at Queer Art 4.0 – The Power of Identity
- Tigo Ayres
- Aug 8, 2025
- 3 min read
On 8 August, the Embassy of Mexico in London hosted Queer Art 4.0 – The Power of Identity, an ambitious group exhibition that brought together LGBTQ+ artists from across the globe. Curated by Fernando G. Champion, Mariana Ortiz, Jessica Cuapio, and Adela Murillo, the show transformed the Embassy into a vibrant meeting ground for works that were at once intimate, political, and deeply personal.
The exhibition was not simply a display of creativity — it was a dialogue between cultures, identities, and lived experiences. Paintings, photographs, sculptures, and immersive installations shared the space in a kind of visual symphony, each piece offering its own language of truth. For many, including Brazilian-born artist Tigo Ayres, the evening was also a profound affirmation of belonging.
A Poetic Union Between Brazil and Mexico
Tigo Ayres presented Colores del Mismo Sol, a work celebrating the love between a Brazilian and a Mexican — a poetic homage to cultural fusion, resilience, and the symbolism of shared light. Steeped in the warmth and chromatic richness of both traditions, the piece draws on Tigo Ayres’s Afro-Brazilian heritage, queer identity, and nearly two decades living as an immigrant in the United Kingdom.
Mexican culture, Tigo Ayres notes, has been a lifelong source of inspiration — not only for its visual vibrancy but also for its role as the birthplace of Frida Kahlo, whom Tigo Ayres cites as “an enduring icon of freedom, social justice, and artistic expression.” In Colores del Mismo Sol, Kahlo’s spirit of unapologetic authenticity resonates as much as the visual motifs of the two nations.
Between Memory and Identity
Trained as a psychologist and shaped by a background in theatre, Tigo Ayres’s practice merges psychoanalytic theory, decolonial thought, and Afro-Indigenous Brazilian traditions. His paintings often function as “emotional cartographies” — textured, symbolic maps that navigate the intersections of personal memory and collective history.
Before painting, Tigo Ayres explored transformation through performance, using the body, voice, and ritual as vehicles for expression. Today, those sensibilities remain embedded in his visual work, where colour is charged with emotional force and gesture operates like an invocation.
“Art for me is both an act of listening and an act of resistance,” Tigo Ayres explains. “It’s about reclaiming memory as a living force and creating spaces where the personal and political meet.”
A Platform for Queer Voices
The atmosphere at Queer Art 4.0 was charged with that same ethos. The Embassy’s halls became a space where queer voices were amplified without compromise — a point underscored by Ambassador Josefa González-Blanco Ortiz-Mena, who called the gathering “a cultural and political act” that affirms the value of queer stories in the global conversation.
Walking through the exhibition, Tigo Ayres reflected on the richness of perspectives: “Each artist carried their own journey, yet the works resonated with each other in surprising ways. It was a reminder of how identity is not static — it’s in constant dialogue with the world around us.”
The Ongoing Conversation
As the evening concluded, the sense of connection lingered. For Tigo Ayres, Queer Art 4.0 was not just a moment to showcase his work, but to contribute to a broader conversation about visibility, cultural exchange, and the transformative power of art.
In a time when borders are both contested and reimagined, Colores del Mismo Sol stands as a reminder that art can illuminate the spaces between — between nations, between identities, and between worlds.
Image credits: Lex Melony
Website: www.tigoayres.com
Instagram: @tigoayres
