Marcelo Amorim, ‘Untitled 1’ (Hazing), 2019 - oil on canvas – 100 x130 cm

In his practice, Marcelo Amorim explores the Western rituals of male initiation.​ In almost every culture, rites of passage taught boys how to be men and become productive members of the ‘tribe’; true leaders capable of enduring the hardest experiences life can bring about.​ 

Initiations were historically conducted with the belief that they were absolutely necessary for a man to learn, in an unequivocal way, what he is capable of, what is his place in the world, and how to engage fully with the male’s domineering role in society.​ 

Often these experiences can be amusing and goliardic, but also harrowing and physically painful. These days, old types of initiation are no longer appropriate, safe, or useful; though dangerous initiations are still occurring in gangs, universities, and adolescent acts of rebellion. They can brutalize young males, turning them into brutalising adult individuals; capable of oppressing those they think are their subaltern; willing to objectify those they perceive as weaker. ​ 

Marcelo Amorim investigates this universe and explores its imagery through interesting, singular, and captivating paintings, and watercolours on paper. Thus generating a compelling narrative that unveils the deeply entrenched mechanism which results in the shaping and perpetuation of the hegemony of the white male in the Western world.