Artist Statement
Rubem Robierb is a visual poet and conceptual artist whose work weaves together philosophy and emotional resonance. Guided by existential inquiry and symbolic language, Robierb uses art as a tool to question and explore the complexities of the human condition.
His multidisciplinary practice spans poetry, photography, painting, sculpture, and virtual reality—each medium serving as a conduit for layered narratives that examine belief, identity, behavior, and transformation. Drawing from philosophy, biology, architecture, and technology, Robierb’s work invites reflection while shifting between the tangible and the metaphysical.
Through striking symbolism and emotionally charged aesthetics, Robierb challenges the viewer to move beyond passive observation. His visual language—marked by recurring motifs such as butterflies, bullets, doves, and wings—triggers introspection and creates space for deeper personal engagement. His works often conceal profound truths in plain sight, designed to resonate both viscerally and intellectually.
Central to his vision is the belief that art should not just be seen, but experienced. His pieces function as catalysts for thought, emotion, and transformation, empowering audiences to reconsider their roles within the social fabric and their relationship to the world around them.
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Biography
Rubem Robierb is an internationally recognized contemporary artist known for his emotionally charged and visually striking works that span painting, sculpture, photography, poetry, and immersive installation. For over 15 years, he has created a body of work that invites viewers into a space of critical thought and emotional reflection.
Born in Maranhão, Brazil, Robierb began his artistic journey as a poet before transitioning to photography. He discovered early on that, like poetry, images could carry metaphor and layered meaning. After formal training, he worked commercially in São Paulo, where he was discovered by the French arts organization Art et Partage, leading to his debut solo exhibition Brésil Autrement. The show traveled across Europe, with stops in Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Milan, Monte Carlo, and Zurich.
In 2008, Robierb moved to Miami, years later he established his studio in the Wynwood Arts District. Immersed in a landscape where fine art met street culture, he began painting, cultivating a bold visual style that reflected his poetic roots. His 2013 move to New York City marked a turning point, with the debut of his Bullets and Butterflies series at Taglialatella Galleries. The success of the show led to a number of significant bodies of work, including Bullet-Fly Effect, HEart, and Power Flowers—each addressing themes of transformation, vulnerability, and resilience.
In 2015, the city of Fort Lauderdale commissioned Robierb to create a 300-foot mural integrating his iconic butterfly and bullet motifs. That same year, he ventured into sculpture with his Love Changes Everything series: a triptych of large-scale bullet forms paired with diamond-dust butterfly wing paintings, expanding his practice into three-dimensional, immersive space.
His public art installations reached new heights in 2018 with DREAM MACHINE, a monumental sculpture of butterfly wings designed for viewer interaction. Installed aboard the Celebrity Edge cruise ship, it draws over 5,000 weekly visitors, serving as a portal for imaginative flight and personal aspiration. In 2019, DREAM MACHINE was installed in Tribeca Park as part of NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program, in partnership with Taglialatella Galleries.
In 2021, Robierb introduced Peace Makers, a 10-foot sculpture featuring two intertwined doves—joined in a seamless, fluid gesture. The work is a powerful metaphor for unity through interdependence, offering a reminder that peace is not the absence of difference, but the embrace of it. It calls viewers to rise above division and recognize that only together can we soar.
In 2022, Robierb unveiled Empower Flower aboard the Celebrity Apex cruise ship—a sculptural lotus/throne inspired by the fluid, organic forms.’The work honors the strength, creativity, and transformative power of women around the world.
In 2024, I presented my first major art show in Brazil since leaving the country—a homecoming marked by memory, imagination, and transformation. Roots to Fly is a poetic and deeply personal journey that reconnects me with my origins while honoring the dreams that propelled me forward. The exhibition unfolds through sculpture, painting, and immersive storytelling, centered around a life-sized canoe carrying a lamp, a tree, and a net full of butterflies—symbols of guidance, roots, and dreams. Through the eyes of a young boy, the show invites viewers to reflect on the delicate balance between where we come from and where we hope to go. Roots to Fly is a celebration of identity, resilience, and the boundless possibilities that emerge when we hold on to our roots and dare to fly.
In 2024, Robierb presented his first major art show in Brazil at Pinacoteca Benedicto Calixto, Santos.
Roots to Fly is a deeply personal and poetic exhibition by Rubem Robierb, returning to his homeland with a powerful visual narrative about identity, dreams, and transformation. Through sculpture, painting, and immersive storytelling, the show traces the journey of a young boy—rooted in his origins yet driven by his dreams. Anchored by a life-sized canoe carrying a lamp, a tree, and a net full of butterflies, the exhibition explores the delicate balance between where we come from and where we aspire to go. Roots to Fly invites viewers of all ages to reflect on their own inner light, the dreams they carry, and the roots that keep them grounded as they journey forward.
In 2025, Rubem Robierb was selected as the winner of FIFA’s official Host City Poster competition for the 2026 World Cup in Miami.
Robierb’s winning design is a vibrant love letter to Miami, capturing its heart and cultural diversity. It’s a visual anthem for Miami, welcoming the world to experience the beautiful game through the lens of art and heart.
Solo Exhibits
2020 “Peace Makers”, Taglialatella Gallery (New York,USA)
2019 “Climate Meltdown”, Arte Fundamental Gallery (Miami, USA)
2018 “Metamosphosis”, Sagamore Hotel (Miami, USA)
2018 “Metamosphosis”, Taglialatella Gallery (New York, USA)
2018 “Metamosphosis”, Taglialatella Gallery (Toronto, Canada)
2018 “Metamosphosis”, Taglialatella Gallery (Paris, France)
2017 “And The Truth Will Set You Free”, Arte Fundamental Gallery (Miami, USA)
2017 “Rubem Robierb New Works”, Octavia Gallery (Houston, USA)
2017 “Rubem Robierb New Works”, Octavia Gallery (New Orleans, USA)
2016 “Rubem Robierb New Works”, Taglialatella Galeries (New York, USA)
2015 “Metamorph-Us” (Fort Lauderdale, USA)
2015 “HeArt”, Gallery 212 (Aspen, USA)
2013 “Bullets and Butterfies”, Taglialatella Galeries (New York, USA)
2012 “Bullet-Fly Effect”, Emmanuel Fremin Gallery (New York, USA)
2011 “Show Me the Money”, Curators Voice Gallery (Miami, USA)
2009 “Eros/Thanatos”, Curators Voice Gallery (Miami, USA)
2006 “Brésil Autrement”, Institute Alliance Française (São Paulo, Brazil)
2006 “Brésil Autrement”, Ilana Gallery (Paris, France)
2006 “Brésil Autrement”, The Image House Gallery (Zurich, Switzerland)
2006 “Brésil Autrement”, Institute Alliance Française (São Paulo, Brazil)
2005 “Brésil Autrement”, IBRIT Instituto Brasile-Italia (Milano, Italy)
2005 “Brésil Autrement”, Space D´Art Sextius (Aix-en-Provence, France)
Group Shows
2019 – Scope Art Fair – Vogelsang Gallery
2018 – Cornell Art Museum – Delray Beach
2018 – Scope Art Fair – Vogelsang Gallery
2018 – Palm Beach Art Fair – Arte Fundamental Gallery
2017 – Bedazzled – Lehman College Museum
2017 – Scope Art Fair – Vogelsang Gallery
2017 – Scope Art Fair – Taglialatella Gallery
2016 – Scope Art Fair – Vogelsang Gallery
2015 – Gallery 212 (Aspen, USA)
2012 – All About Art Fine Art Auction – The Frost Museum
2012 – Overture Contemporary Art Fair
2012 – Arte Americas Art Fair, Canal Gallery
2007 – Stephanie & Art Curial Auction for Fight Aids Foundation (Monte Carlo, Monaco)
2005 – Quadra Gallerie (Paris)