ZÉH PALITO

Zéh Palito (Limeira, SP, 1986) is a visual artist and muralist. He holds a degree in Graphic Design from FAAL and also trained in Fine Arts at EMCEA (Escola Municipal de Cultura e Artes) in Limeira. At just 15 years old, Zéh Palito began working with street painting, murals, and graffiti in the interior of São Paulo—an activity that strengthens local communities and often addresses urgent social issues. His interest in this public dimension of painting led him to broaden his research abroad, spending time in African countries and in the United States.

Between these travels, always returning periodically to Brazil, the artist absorbed a wide range of references that expanded his stylistic development and technical experimentation. His mural work has also been deeply shaped by social engagement and support for marginalized populations. In Zambia, for instance, he worked with local pigments, which introduced him to lighter or washed-out tones such as pastel pinks and yellows. During his time in the United States, he incorporated references to music, pop culture, and consumer society, often using more saturated and vibrant color palettes.

Although he also experimented with easel painting, it was in 2019 that Zéh Palito increasingly divided his time between walls and canvases. He first explored oil painting and later adopted acrylics as his preferred medium, as they better supported the speed and immediacy of his creative process. Combining his academic training in design with his experience painting murals, he deepened his studies in color, technique, composition, and vector-based construction—elements that continue to influence his current pictorial language. Frequently, the starting point for his works is the representation of ethnic and social minorities, especially Black and Indigenous people, placed in environments shaped by elements reminiscent of Brazilian tropicalism, prominently featuring fruits, plants, and fantastical color palettes. In parallel, he employs a highly media-driven iconography, including imagery of sneakers, clothing and brands, cars, jewelry, and other objects.

Zéh Palito has produced murals in more than 30 countries across Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He has also been featured in several group exhibitions, including: “When We See Us” at Zeitz MOCAA and Kunstmuseum Basel in South Africa and Switzerland; “The Culture” at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Saint Louis Art Museum in the United States; “X PINK 101” at the X Museum in Beijing, China; and “Quilombo: vida, problemas e aspirações do negro” at Inhotim Museum in Minas Gerais, Brazil. His solo exhibitions include: “Between the World and Me” at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Querétaro — Mexico; “Cars, Pools and Melanin” at Perrotin, New York; “Eu sei porque o pássaro canta na gaiola” at Simões de Assis Gallery, Brazil; “Untouchable Negritude” at Luce Gallery, Italy; and “Tropical Diaspora” at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center, Baltimore, United States.

In the 2017 edition of Vulica in Minsk, Zéh Palito created the mural “Sublime Nature.” In 2025, Zéh Palito participated in the 6th edition of the Vulica Brasil festival in Brasília, creating the mural “Between the World and Us” on the Márcia Building, Block 1 of the Setor Comercial Sul.