The title chosen by Cadu for his fourth solo show at Vermelho, Mamihlapinatapai, might be interpreted as the exhibition’s first work or gesture. The word originates from the Yagan people, native inhabitants of the Chilean islands Tierra del Fuego, and is featured in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most concise word. It describes a feeling that is very complex to translate: “a glance exchanged between two people, in which each expects the other to take the initiative regarding something both want, but neither wants to make the first move,” according to Cristina Calderón, the last known living speaker of the Yagan language.
With time, the word took on other meanings, and is now understood as a glance shared between two people who understand and agree on something left unspoken. A deep silence full of meaning. For Cadu, his 10 years working with Vermelho, which are celebrate with this exhibition, have built this kind of complicity.
The title chosen by Cadu for his fourth solo show at Vermelho, Mamihlapinatapai, might be interpreted as the exhibition’s first work or gesture. The word originates from the Yagan people, native inhabitants of the Chilean islands Tierra del Fuego, and is featured in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most concise word. It describes a feeling that is very complex to translate: “a glance exchanged between two people, in which each expects the other to take the initiative regarding something both want, but neither wants to make the first move,” according to Cristina Calderón, the last known living speaker of the Yagan language.
With time, the word took on other meanings, and is now understood as a glance shared between two people who understand and agree on something left unspoken. A deep silence full of meaning. For Cadu, his 10 years working with Vermelho, which are celebrate with this exhibition, have built this kind of complicity.









