{
  "id": 12887499,
  "title": "Psychedelic Paintings by Rafael Silveira Explore a World of ‘Visual Synonymies’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/psychedelic-paintings-by-rafael-silveira-explore-a-world-of-visual",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-08T14:37:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Colossal",
    "slug": "colossal",
    "url": "https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/10/rafael-silveira-paintings-surreal-popsicledelic-trip/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rafael Silveira, a Brazilian artist, has crafted a series of mystical paintings that merge disparate elements in unexpected ways. His works, featured in the exhibition \"Popsicledelic Trip\" at KP Projects Gallery in Los Angeles, seek to explore the concept of \"visual synonymies\" - a term he uses to describe formal correspondences between seemingly unrelated things. Silveira's pieces often replace facial features with landforms, flora, and fauna, and sometimes hybridize animals, figures, and other objects.\n\nThe artist's unique style is evident in works like \"Exit\" and \"We Are On The Same Page,\" both of which include giant versions of popsicles held by figures. For Silveira, the popsicle symbolizes the interconnectedness of all things in the universe, despite its seemingly out-of-place reference within the context of these surreal pieces. He aims to challenge our perception of the world by juxtaposing objects and organisms in unlikely scenarios.\n\nSilveira's use of the tavola centinata, a compositional form often found in Gothic and early Renaissance paintings, adds a layer of historical significance to his work. This shape, with its squared base and rounded top, mirrors that of a classic popsicle, creating a bridge between the sacred and the ephemeral, the permanent and the fleeting. His paintings invite viewers to rethink the relationship between the spiritual and the transient, the holy and the sweet.\n\nExplore more of Rafael Silveira's work on Instagram.",
  "summary": "Silveira juxtaposes objects and organisms in unlikely scenarios to challenge how we perceive the world around us. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Psychedelic Paintings by Rafael Silveira Explore a World of ‘Visual Synonymies’ appeared first on Colossal .",
  "key_points": [
    "Brazilian artist Rafael Silveira creates mystical paintings.",
    "Works explore visual synonymies between unrelated elements.",
    "Popsicle symbolizes interconnectedness of all things."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}