OSGEMEOS: Endless Story at the Hirshhorn
OSGEMEOS: Endless Story
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
On View Through August 3, 2025
A Vibrant Street Art Exhibition You Need to See
Initial Thoughts
To be completely honest, street art and graffiti have never really been my thing. It’s not that I dislike them—just that I’ve never felt a personal connection to the medium. And, to be fair, I wasn’t all that familiar with OSGEMEOS before seeing this exhibition. I had come across their work in passing—those whimsical, long-limbed figures stretching across walls and buildings—but I didn’t know much about who they were or what they stood for.
This exhibition changed that.
It’s massive—exactly what a retrospective should be. It spans different periods of their career, blending storytelling, scale, personal memory, humor, and social commentary. Some of it is genuinely weird and wild, in the best way. If you love funky, imaginative art that bends reality and feels like stepping into a dream, this show is absolutely for you. If that’s not really your thing, you’ll probably still find parts to appreciate—but maybe only half of the show will truly click.
Collection of photographs and sketches
I won’t pretend that I loved everything. I tend to enjoy offbeat art in small doses, and there were definitely moments that didn’t speak to me. But that’s okay—not every piece has to resonate. What matters is that some of the work did connect with me, and those moments stood out.
Walking through the galleries, I found myself unexpectedly drawn into their world. So while I may not be a longtime fan of graffiti, this show gave me a new appreciation—not just for OSGEMEOS, but for how deeply personal, playful, and expansive street art can be.
The Exhibition Experience
OSGEMEOS: Endless Story, currently on view at the Hirshhorn Museum, is a sprawling, immersive experience that completely takes over the museum’s third floor. As their first U.S. museum survey and largest American exhibition to date, it feels less like a showcase and more like a journey into the imaginations of twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo.
What immediately struck me was the clarity of the curatorial vision. This wasn’t just a collection of work. It was a narrative—a well-organized story that walked us through who these artists are, how they came to be, and the vibrant universe they’ve created over the last four decades.
Installation view
Storytelling in Style
There’s a playful, almost childlike quality to the work of OSGEMEOS, but it would be a mistake to label it as simplistic. Their characters, scenes, and worlds are quirky, surreal, and deeply imaginative, yet they also carry a certain emotional resonance that makes them surprisingly relatable. Whether it was a breakdancing boombox-wielding donkey or an ethereal vision of a utopian dream world, every piece felt like a small window into something bigger.
Although I’m not new to street art, I’ll admit it’s never been a genre I’ve particularly gravitated toward. It’s not that I’ve dismissed it outright, but I haven’t had much personal connection to it—nor have I made much effort in the past to explore or understand it more deeply. That’s why this exhibition felt so unexpected. Rather than trying to convince me to love street art, it simply invited me into the world of OSGEMEOS on their terms—full of color, culture, music, and magic. It deepened my appreciation not just for their work, but for the depth and versatility within the medium itself.
Installation view
Mural Work & Global Influence
The twins are perhaps best known for their murals—towering, dynamic works that wrap around building façades and urban landscapes with uncanny ease. Each piece feels both monumental and intimate, shaped by the architecture it inhabits. Despite having painted around the world, they remain committed to their roots, sketching every mural by hand and transferring it to the wall without projection tools—a testament to their deeply personal, hands-on process.
Their journey began in São Paulo in the late 1980s with their first mural. By 1999, their bold, distinctive style had caught international attention, leading to their first global project in Munich, Germany. Since then, they’ve left their mark on walls across over thirty countries, creating site-specific works that fuse imagination with environment.
Mural in New York, NY. (147 West 14th Street)
Their signature “Giants” characters—tall, expressive figures—often emerge from blank or minimally painted backgrounds, blending seamlessly with architectural features like chimneys or windows, which become hats, hairstyles, or props. This playful spatial awareness and visual wit are part of what sets OSGEMEOS apart in the global street art scene.
Rather than relying on digital tools to scale their designs, the brothers continue to use small, detailed sketches—some of which are on display in the exhibition—and scale them up manually, working in unison on a single lift. It’s a process that feels as much like choreography as it does painting, rooted in collaboration and instinct.
Support independent journalism and become a member today
As an independent publication, The Art Districts relies on member support to fund our journalism and keep our reporting and criticism free and accessible to all.
Early Work: From São Paulo to the World
Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo have been collaborators since childhood, often sitting side by side sketching scenes inspired by cartoons and comic books, sometimes even drawing on the same sheet of paper. Raised in Cambuci, a working-class neighborhood in São Paulo shaped by immigrant communities, their creativity was deeply influenced by their surroundings and each other.
Collection of photos and video of breakdancing
During the early 1980s, as Brazil emerged from a harsh military dictatorship, global hip-hop culture began making its way into the country through films, music, and imported books. The twins immersed themselves in this new wave, learning to breakdance and DJ. Their moniker, OSGEMEOS—meaning “the twins” in Portuguese—was given to them by DJ Hum, a local music figure. With limited access to international streetwear, they improvised: one standout example is a custom-made tracksuit stitched by their grandmother to emulate the iconic Adidas style, an item featured in this exhibition.
As their interest in hip-hop evolved, so did their practice of graffiti, which started on the walls of their home and extended into their neighborhood. A pivotal moment came in 1993 when their work caught the eye of Barry McGee, a prominent American graffiti artist visiting São Paulo. That meeting opened the door to the international graffiti scene, expanding their horizons beyond Brazil.
Installation view of sketches and custom made track suits
This exhibition showcases the duo’s early creative journey, featuring selected childhood drawings and archival materials curated by the artists themselves. These pieces reflect the many influences—family, community, global street culture, and artistic peers—that helped shape their distinctive visual language and laid the foundation for the internationally acclaimed work they produce today.
Tritrez: A World of Their Own
At the heart of OSGEMEOS’s imaginative universe lies Tritrez—a mystical realm born from the twins’ creative minds. Described as a place of perfect balance and vivid sensation, Tritrez is where harmony reigns. “There’s nothing to worry about there,” the artists have said. “You can feel the scent of the wind, see shimmering colors in the rivers, touch anything around you, and watch unique, glowing fish swim past blooming, otherworldly flowers.”
Tritrez Part II, Mixed media with sequins on wood, 2011
The earliest glimpses of Tritrez began appearing in their sketchbooks as far back as the 1980s—some of which are displayed in this exhibition. Over the years, this dreamlike world has grown far beyond drawings, expanding into immersive, three-dimensional creations. At each end of the gallery, elaborate, shrine-like installations anchor the space. These sculptural works feature streetwear-clad figures posed with reverence, evoking saints, deities, or guardians of another realm.
Surrounding paintings and sculptures fuse elements of sacred geometry and mysticism with pop culture references, from cult films like The Holy Mountain (1973) and Flash Gordon (1980) to the vibrant, cosmic style of Afrofuturist pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa and his Soulsonic Force. The result is a world that feels both ancient and futuristic—where spirituality isn’t cold or distant, but deeply human, playful, and alive with color and rhythm.
The Lyrical, Acrylic, spray paint and sequins on mdf, 2018.
Music & Movement
Music isn’t just an influence in OSGEMEOS’s work—it’s an essential lifeline, pulsing through nearly every piece in this exhibition. From classical compositions to the raw energy of hip-hop, the twins grew up surrounded by sound. Their grandfather’s love for classical music, their siblings’ affinity for rock and pop, and the vibrant beats echoing from São Paulo’s São Bento subway station—all became part of their creative DNA.
For OSGEMEOS, music is more than background noise; it’s a vehicle for escape and self-discovery. “When you dance, when you really listen, you can leave reality behind,” they’ve said. “You discover parts of yourself you didn’t know existed.” That feeling—of music as liberation—permeates their visual language.
Untitled (92 Speakers), 2019 & Gramophone, 2016
The works on view don’t just nod to music; they hum with it. Jegue Boombox, for instance, features a whimsical breakdancer energized by a donkey (or jegue) hauling a massive boombox. It’s playful and surreal, but rooted in the real-world rhythms that shaped their youth. Nearby, Gramophone melds the past and present—fusing antique phonograph horns with DJ turntables in an interactive sculpture that can actually play music. Painted speaker boxes with expressive faces line the walls, designed to broadcast audio curated by the artists themselves.
This seamless fusion of sound, image, and movement is a hallmark of OSGEMEOS’s world. It reminds us that art isn’t always silent—and that sometimes, the loudest expressions come from the most unexpected places.
Real & Imagined Places
In one of the galleries, a series of paintings stretch side by side, creating a sweeping visual narrative that feels like stepping into a dreamscape. The imagery moves fluidly between the familiar and the fantastical—rolling Brazilian hills give way to glowing rivers, hovering UFOs, and cosmic beings pulled straight from science fiction. These scenes aren’t just imaginative—they’re layered with personal memory, cultural touchstones, and the twins’ love for movies and music that shaped their upbringing.
1980, Mixed media with sequins on MDF, 2020
By placing the works in sequence, OSGEMEOS invites viewers on a kind of journey—part autobiography, part fantasy. The result is a vivid travelogue through real and imagined worlds, where earthly landscapes blend effortlessly with otherworldly visions. It’s both intimate and expansive, capturing how place—whether remembered or invented—can shape the way we see and dream.
Collaborations
Collaboration has long been at the heart of OSGEMEOS’s creative approach, and this part of the exhibition shines a light on some of their most compelling partnerships. Among the standout works are two collaborative paintings with Banksy that merge their vibrant, surreal figures with his stark, politically charged imagery. One features a lone OSGEMEOS character surrounded by Banksy’s riot police; the other flips the dynamic, placing a Banksy officer within a crowd of the twins’ joyful, dreamlike figures. First revealed in a surprise outdoor show in New York in 2013, these works capture a rare blend of social critique and visual play.
OSGEMEOS and Banksy, Untitled, Spray paint on wood panel, 2011
Beyond Banksy, OSGEMEOS have teamed up with a diverse group of artists across disciplines and generations. Their collaboration with photographer Martha Cooper—a key figure in documenting New York’s graffiti movement—bridges eras of street art history. They’ve also joined forces with JR, the French artist known for his monumental public installations, and José Parlá, whose layered calligraphic textures resonate with their own expressive style. Even within their family, collaboration plays a role, with their older brother Arnaldo Pandolfo contributing to the creative dialogue.
Each partnership reveals the twins’ ability to move fluidly between artistic languages while maintaining the vivid, deeply personal voice that defines their work.
Final Thoughts
Even if street art isn’t typically your thing, this is one of those exhibitions that might genuinely surprise you—it certainly surprised me. While my overall opinion of the medium hasn’t completely shifted, I left with a newfound appreciation for its possibilities, and a deep respect for the vision and creativity of these two incredibly gifted brothers. Their work is layered, imaginative, and undeniably human.
It’s a reminder of how important it is to approach art with an open mind. One thing we strive for is to challenge ourselves—to remain open to perspectives and styles that might not initially resonate. You never know when something might click or shift your viewpoint. This exhibition did just that for us.
Definitely worth seeing.
Installation view