The diversity of Céu’s work might seem erratic. And perhaps it truly is—ranging from experimental adult animations and chewing-gum stickers to films for preschool audiences and subway station signage. Art critic Denise Mattar seems to shed light on this when she writes: “…Céu’s drawings… although possessing characteristics that evoke a fantastical universe, are in fact conceptual investigations revealing a profound anguish—permeated by irony—in the face of the increasingly idiosyncratic world we inhabit.”
I’m an alien, I’m a legal alien, I’m an O-1 alien in New York
Comments from Céu:
This is a *Wunderkammer* (cabinet of curiosities) belonging to an alien who visited the U.S. and took these pieces back to his home dimension. They are made of wood and adorned with tiny lights because, beneath the ostentatious technology, the American heartland is defined by fairs and wooden amusement parks illuminated by strings of small bulbs. I am that alien. And make no mistake: I may hold an O-1 visa in the U.S., but I am a stranger to this world everywhere, whether in Brazil, Italy, on a Varanasi Ghat, or at Carpoolparking Nevele.
As for this series – which has been exhibited in art galleries around the world – I’ll leave it to art critic Denise Mattar to try and explain it:
“Céu D’Ellia’s drawings are notable for the precision and refinement of their compositions; while they possess characteristics that evoke a fantastical realm, they are, in fact, conceptual investigations revealing a profound—and irony-tinged—anguish regarding the increasingly idiosyncratic world we inhabit.
The artist reflects critically on issues that intrigue him and transforms discourse into visual construction, employing a complex, nonsensical symbology derived from the sarcastic perspective he adopts to decipher the world around him.
The intense relationship between the drawings and their titles fundamentally shapes the artist’s work, blurring the boundaries between verbal and visual languages and expanding the limits artificially imposed by critics. In doing so, the artist moves beyond the traditional concept of illustration—understood as a visual representation of a narrative—to create dense works that offer the viewer multiple layers of interpretive possibilities.
In the series *America in the eyes of an Alien O*, Céu D’Ellia dissects—with the sharp edge of wit—certain fractures within American society, which she experienced firsthand while working in New York for nearly three years.
“Alien 01” is the classification assigned by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to individuals possessing so-called “Extraordinary Ability,” allowing them to work in the country in specific jobs for set periods. In Céu D’Ellia’s case, this referred to her expertise in the creation and development of animated art. The segregation inherent in this classification did not escape the artist, who—with a sense of prescience—recognized the degree of intolerance underlying a society that appeared so politically correct on the surface.
It is this “gray area”—a term denoting the space between the legal and the illegal—that Céu dissects in this series. He addresses issues such as racism against Black people, Indigenous populations, and foreigners, as well as the cult of money, which carries within it the war industry, labor exploitation, and environmental irresponsibility. These are issues that, in essence, are present in Brazilian society—a society that is also increasingly intolerant regarding art or human rights, yet lenient toward corruption and political maneuvering.
Céu D’Ellia is currently working on an animation project based on his drawings. This endeavor is of great interest, as it promises to cross new boundaries by further blending verbal, visual, and cinematic languages in a process of hybridization and cross-pollination.
The challenge for the artist—who is highly experienced in the demanding medium of animation (let us not forget his extraordinary skills)—seems less daunting than the challenge posed by art critics and their persistent dismissal of anyone whose work borders on illustration.
Yet, there are always exceptions—Kentridge, for instance.”
DENISE MATTAR – She was curator of the Museu da Casa Brasileira – Museum of the Brazilian House, São Paulo, from 1985 to 1987; of the Museu de Arte Moderna – Museum of Modern Art, São Paulo, from 1987 to 1989 and of the Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro, from 1990 to 1997. As an independent curator, she has held retrospective exhibitions of artists such as Di Cavalcanti, Flávio de Carvalho (APCA Award), Ismael Nery (APCA and ABCA Awards), Pancetti, Anita Malfatti, Samson Flexor (APCA Award), Portinari, Alfredo Volpi, Guignard, Yutaka Toyota (APCA Award). In 2022 and 2023 alone, she held and curated more than 15 different exhibitions throughout Brazil.