Rafael Silveira is a Brazilian visual artist based in Curitiba, Brazil. He began his artistic career in the 1990s as an illustrator, with his work appearing in various fanzines and independent magazines before being published by the American imprint Dark Horse and several Brazilian publications. His graphic work received international recognition and awards, laying the foundation for his unique pictorial vision.
Since 2007, Silveira has dedicated himself to oil painting, developing a body of work characterized by highly detailed and surreal canvases, often framed in handcrafted sculptural frames that become an integral part of the piece. His paintings are influenced by old masters — from Arcimboldo to Magritte — and draw inspiration from cult B-movies, classic cartoons, and filmmakers such as David Lynch, Wes Anderson, and Quentin Tarantino, as well as literary figures like Franz Kafka and Augusto dos Anjos.
His work has been exhibited in cities such as São Paulo, New York, London, and Milan, and is part of prominent private and institutional collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro (MAM-Rio) and the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON-PR). A monograph covering a decade of his artistic journey was published by Editora Sesi-SP, featuring an essay by curator Agnaldo Farias.
In 2017, his exhibition Circonjecturas at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum attracted nearly 100,000 visitors, making it one of the most successful shows in the museum’s history. The exhibition later traveled to other major venues, including Centro Cultural Fiesp in São Paulo and Caixa Cultural in Brasília. A virtual version of the exhibition can be explored on the Google Arts & Culture platform.
His recent works have been featured in several renowned digital and print publications, including Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose, COLOSSAL, Beautiful Bizarre, and even the front cover of The New York Times.
In 2022, Silveira presented his first immersive solo exhibition at São Paulo’s Farol Santander, drawing over 140,000 visitors—a record-breaking audience for his shows. That same year, his work was exhibited at the Spanish museum Afundación in Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña as part of the group exhibition Imaxinária, where his piece was the centerpiece of the show’s official promotional campaign.
