Mulambö affirms that "there is no museum in the world like our grandmother's house".
Born João da Motta in 1995, the artist grew up as MULAMBÖ in the seaside town of Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he currently resides and works. In his artistic practice, he incorporates symbols and materials from everyday life, aiming for a ‘re-foundation’ of the narratives that shape people’s lives. His exploration encompasses themes such as football, Carnival, family, and the stories that form the foundation of his community, expressed through paintings, objects, flags, and installations. According to the artist, ‘there is no museum in the world like our grandmother’s house.’
In recent years, Mulambö has participated in numerous group shows at prestigious art institutions in Brazil, including MASP - Museu de Arte de São Paulo, MAR - Museu de Arte do Rio, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Inhotim, Instituto Moreira Salles, and Sesc São Paulo, among others. Internationally, he presented the solo exhibition ‘Out of many, muchos más’ in Seattle (USA) and contributed to the collective exhibition ‘Sweat’ at Haus der Kunst in Munich (Germany), both in 2021. More recently, in 2022, he was commissioned to create the series of paintings ‘O couro come’ for Inhotim and the installation ‘O penhor dessa igualdade’ as part of the Centro Cultural São Paulo Exhibition Program in São Paulo. Mulambö’s works are integral to significant institutional collections in Brazil, including Museu de Arte do Rio - MAR, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Inhotim, and Museu do Ingá.
His works are featured in prominent Brazilian institutional collections, including the Museum of Art of Rio - MAR (Rio de Janeiro, RJ); the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo, SP); the Museu do Ingá (Niterói, RJ); and the Instituto Inhotim (Brumadinho, MG).