Until August 3rd, 2025, the Hirshhorn Museum will be hosting a full-floor presentation of work created by identical twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo, known globally as Osgemeos (Portuguese for “the twins”). The robust, and somewhat chaotic, display takes the consumer through the twins’ development of their artistic style coupled with the slightly psychedelic storyline of their art that has been born along the way.
Their story begins in São Paulo, Brazil, circa 1984, where the ten year old Pandolfo twins were first exposed to hip-hop culture. At twelve years old, they had adopted the persona of ‘b-boys’, and had become devoted to many of the aspects of hip-hop culture, including breakdancing, rapping, and making graffiti. At this time, they also earned the nickname ‘Os Gemeos’ from a local DJ, which eventually became their artistic title. At eighteen, the Pandolfo brothers met Barry McGee, an American graffiti artist known for his satirical socially provocative imagery, and a long lasting partnership was born.
By the early 2000’s, the twins had expanded their graffiti art to massive murals, spanning anything from buildings to street cars. Along the way, they developed their artistic style, resulting in Osgemeos becoming known for figures they call “Giants”. These figures are massive, fitting the scale that they are commonly painted on, and are often bright yellow with skinny legs and brightly colored clothing that vaguely resembles traditional Brazilian dress. Today, these “Giants” are incorporated into the Hirshhorn Museum’s current gallery, spreading across rooms that feature tremendous sculptures, large-scale paintings on wood and canvas, and room-sized installations that incorporate light, movement, and music. It also contains a variety of massive photographs of the twin’s murals from around the world.
Not a single bit of the Endless Story gallery is boring. It is a thriving product of artistic ability that most can only imagine possessing, practically bursting with life and colors, all of which tug your eyes from one piece to another. Starting in the first few rooms, an impressive amount of the twin’s childhood artwork, comic strips, photographs, graffiti-style doodles, and other various paraphernalia are displayed for the viewer. All of this is coupled with a video of the twins in their teenage years, expressing their enjoyment in taking part in hip-hop culture and what it means to be ‘b-boys’. Through this, you gain a lot of insight on what drives Osgemeos in their current creative process. As you follow the rooms, an entire world comes into focus. Don’t be mistaken; at no point in this exhibit will you have an understanding of what you are looking at. You can only stare in wonder as the colors and content of the art continues to expand.
Sometimes the artwork resembles Brazilian landscapes, other times humanoid aliens. Regardless of its contents or the medium, each piece feels like a celebration of exuberance and maximalism. Even pieces that are meant to evoke a sense of harmony and relaxation are daringly vivid. One such gallery is devoted to “Tritrez,” one of the many unique worlds that the twins have invented. It represents a place where “there’s nothing to worry about”. It contains the type of art where the viewer is best off taking a seat and attempting to take in everything they can about the piece. So in some sense, it does bring about feelings of peace and focus.
Regardless of your feelings about graffiti or surreal-style art, I would implore anyone reading to look more into Osgemeos and their creations. Chances are you won’t have to look far, as, if you can’t make it out to the Hirshhorn Museum, a wide variety of Osgemeos’ work is also online. The twins have dipped their artistic talents not only into public murals, but also into mediums of music, sculpture work, and video production. Experiencing Osgemeos’ art, whether in person or online, offers a whole host of entirely different worlds outside of the traditional artistic scope. Dive in – you won’t regret it.
