Hidden Styles
Sandro Akel is a Brazilian contemporary artist whose practice bridges street culture and fine art. Drawing from his background as a co-founder of the Bijari Collective, Akel incorporates layered posters, drawing, and encaustic techniques to create richly textured works rooted in urban experience. His paintings explore themes of consumption, memory, and transformation, giving new life to discarded materials while maintaining a refined, contemporary visual language.
Urban Memory & Material History
Layers, Time, and Impermanence
Sandro Akel’s work explores the passage of time through layered urban materials shaped by use, exposure, and human presence. Torn posters and street fragments are built up and partially concealed, allowing moments to surface and recede across the composition. Through encaustic processes that preserve while obscuring, his works echo the constant cycle of accumulation and erosion found in city environments. The result is a visual language that speaks to memory, transformation, and the fleeting nature of the urban experience.
Material as Memory
The Creative Process
Sandro Akel’s creative process is guided by intuition and hands-on exploration. He begins by selecting and layering found urban materials, allowing their textures and histories to inform the composition. Through drawing and encaustic techniques, he refines each surface, creating depth and harmony while preserving traces of the original elements. The result is a carefully balanced work where spontaneity and intention meet, offering collectors a piece that is both visually engaging and rich in material character.
"I allow the work to evolve organically, responding intuitively to how the materials speak to one another.”
Sandro Akel
Sandro Akel Collection
Recently Sold Pieces (Commissions Available)
