CAIO FERN, born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1975, studied Psychology at Universidade Paulista. Fern's work is sometimes described as Realist, "though the sheer intensity of his work sets him apart from most contemporary Realist painters. With a highly individualistic style of painting, Caio reveals the raw physical characteristics and inner tensions of his subjects which proposes an intricate set of perspectives of the "self", is apparent in his self-portraits. Though Caio affirms that a self-portrait can only be considered as a visual reflection of himself, "There is no conceptual speech behind it," he believes strongly that the only important thing is the painting itself."