Tigo Ayres visits Recife and strengthens cultural connections between art, architecture, and the contemporary Northeast

British-Brazilian artist Tigo Ayres spent several days in Recife to visit two of the most important art and design events in the Northeast of Brazil: CASACOR Pernambuco 2025, held in the historic neighbourhood of Graças, and Arte PE – Pernambuco Contemporary Art Fair, at the Olinda Convention Centre.

Through encounters between architecture, design, and contemporary art, Ayres’ visit reinforces the importance of building regional and national bridges between artists, curators, and galleries.

Recife: the cultural heart of the Brazilian Northeast

More than a capital, Recife stands as one of Brazil’s most vibrant cultural centres.

Amid colonial houses and new creative hubs, the city breathes art — from Francisco Brennand’s legacy to the Ceramic Workshop that bears his name, from the historic streets of Recife Antigo to the contemporary galleries of Derby and Boa Viagem. Recife is a living mosaic of artistic languages, encounters, and resilience.

With a fast-growing art scene and an active network of fairs, museums, and collectives, the city reaffirms its vocation as the epicentre of aesthetic and social thought in the Northeast, where art and identity coexist as acts of creation and resistance.

CASACOR Pernambuco 2025: “Sowing Dreams”

This year, CASACOR Pernambuco 2025 embraces the national theme “Sowing Dreams”, the same conceptual axis as the Sergipe edition.

In Recife, the exhibition highlights projects that recover affection, ancestry, and new ways of imagining the future — merging sustainability, memory, and sensibility.

For Tigo Ayres, whose artistic practice spans painting, performance, and installation, visiting CASACOR is an opportunity to deepen the dialogue between art and architecture — two disciplines that share the desire to shape emotional and symbolic spaces.

“Architecture and art share the same purpose: to care for space and the soul. In Recife, I could see how design becomes poetry, and how the culture of the Northeast continues to inspire Brazil and the world,” says the artist.

Arte PE – Pernambuco Contemporary Art Fair

During his stay, Ayres also attended Arte PE, one of the leading contemporary art fairs in the Northeast, gathering galleries, collectors, and artists from across the country.

The event, now a landmark in the regional cultural calendar, celebrates the diversity of Brazilian art and the growing strength of Northeastern galleries.

Walking through the fair, the artist highlighted the essential role of such initiatives as bridges between creators and audiences, strengthening the cultural ecosystem and decentralising Brazil’s art market.

“Arte PE reveals the creative power of the Northeast and its ability to engage in global dialogue. Being here is about recognising that strength and building alliances that connect art, territory, and emotion,” says Ayres.

Between Brazil and the United Kingdom: an artist in transit

Having lived in London for nearly 20 years, while maintaining studios in Natal (RN), Tigo Ayres has built a trajectory defined by dialogue between cultures and geographies.

His work merges psychology, ancestry, and popular spirituality, exploring themes of identity, memory, and transformation — a path that bridges Brazilian traditions with European contemporaneity.

His visit to Recife marks a symbolic return to his Northeastern roots, part of what the artist describes as “sowing symbolic alliances and shared harvests between worlds.”

Connections that shape the future of Northeastern art

Tigo Ayres’ presence at CASACOR Pernambuco and Arte PE reflects the growing importance of strengthening cultural networks across the Northeast.

These encounters not only encourage collaboration but also reposition the region as a vital centre for artistic, curatorial, and cultural production — dynamic, plural, and globally connected.

“The Northeast plays a decisive role in the Brazilian imagination. Building bridges between its cities and artists is more than a cultural act — it is both poetic and political,” concludes Ayres.

About Tigo Ayres

Tigo Ayres (b. 1983, Brazil) is a British-Brazilian visual artist and psychologist who has lived in London for nearly 20 years and maintains active studios in London and Natal (RN). His practice spans painting, performance, and installation, exploring the intersections between psychology, popular spirituality, and identity.

Ayres’ work bridges intimate and collective experiences, reflecting on ancestry, memory, and transformation.

More information: www.tigoayres.com

Instagram: @tigoayres