The making of ‘collages’ has been central to MAYO’s work from the very beginning.
His fascination lies in the clearly ambiguous; in questioning meaning and playing with spontaneous associations.
Homo Ludens – the playing human.
Since 2015, MAYO has developed a series of humorously radical collages in the format of the legendary men’s magazine Playboy.
They play with expectation, desire, and cultural codes – and simultaneously undermine them.
“Instant Meaning” names that moment when a first sense of meaning flashes up – only to slip away again.
This series works with familiar codes and with the speed at which our brains generate meaning. His images challenge us to question the contradictions of our spontaneous reactions, and the ease with which we believe we understand.
Mysterious, supernatural beings have fascinated humanity for millennia. Today they appear as superheroes or manga figures; long before that, they existed as myths of human-like beings with special powers.
The mermaid stands at their center: between myth and desire, between nature and culture, erotic and emancipatory at once.
The Rainas da l’Aua (Queens of Water) series projects this archetypal figure into our present.
