Carlos Cesar Alves (b. Monte Castelo, 1964) is as enigmatic as a painter as he is as an individual. His artistic influences stem from European Modernism to American Color Field Painting, resulting in a body of work that encompasses both expressionist and geometric variants of abstraction. Among a plethora of styles, the Brazilian artist is also influenced by the Dada movement, as his paintings employ ready-made objects, collage, and assemblage with strong references to industrialism.
Prior to becoming a renowned and prolific artist, the artist was a high-level General Motors executive in Brazil and a Citibank Project Manager for Operations and Technology in the US for 12 years. Not only does Alves have an unusual professional background for an artist, but he also lives with achromatopsy or complete color blindness, a condition that greatly conflicts with his artistic practice. Nevertheless, the overwhelmingly colorful works of Carlos Cesar Alves tell a visually rich narrative through pigment, shape, form, and polished textures. For Carlos, the canvas serves as both a mask and a magnifying lens, allowing him to choose when to reveal important elements of himself and of his world through mark-making and layers of paint.
Despite the versatility among Alves’ works, the use of resin is a common element; it is this medium that the artist has truly mastered over the years, and earned him a lengthy list of awards. This creates a glossy, ceramic look on top of fascinating and complex patterns, making for a recognizable artistic style. His art is very much process-based and autobiographical in nature, revealing a mathematical mind filled with dichotomies.
Works by Alves can be found in the collections of the Tamis River (Paris), La Plana Holding (Miami), Anderson Klein (Brazil), and other private collectors. Some of his major exhibitions include Miami River Art Fair's Brazilian Pavilion, Wynwood Gallery Walk Art & Design Gallery, St. Paul's Gallery, ARTBRAZIL 2015, Gallery of the Amazing Things, Gab Studio Miami, The Avenue Loft Gallery, ArtServe Gallery, Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, Gallery Six, and Sunset Isle II Gallery. He has participated in several festivals, especially in the artistic community contest of Wynwood, Miami; he was elected "Best in Show" of the 2016 edition of Art Brasil.