Artist Miguel Afa opens his solo exhibition "The Time That Lives Within Me"

This selection of works by Miguel Afa for rhinoceros brings together paintings conceived and produced in Rome specifically for the artist’s first solo exhibition in Italy. Shown for the first time, the series reflects his personal experiences in the city where body, memory, and place intertwine in new ways. Known for his deeply human approach, Afa structures his work around affective experiences that shape his understanding of time. These include moments of daily life in Brazil and in Italy, memories shared with loved ones, Brazilian and Italian landscapes, and encounters with Italian art history — specifically, the influence of Caravaggio. In this sense, time takes material form, revealing ways of contemplating its passing in both objects and landscapes. “The time that lives in me” encompasses these relationships between life, memory, and place. As the artist states, “Memory is a body: longing [saudade*] is a backyard,” evoking an affective space where me