Graffiti Brasil
Tristen Manco’s latest offering in to the book world is Graffiti Brasil, published by Thames & Hudson. So, guess what it’s about…you got it! It’s about Brazil’s very own graffiti movement, and mighty fine it is too. First thing first…why Brasil and not Brazil? I didn’t know, I had to ask but apparently it’s how to spell Brazil in Portuguese (Brazil’s native language). Now, with that taken care of we can carry on!
The style, or should I say the styles, of Brazil’s streetart are truly their own. There’s a wonderful quote by Os Gemeos from a real old copy of 12oz Prophet magazine that a friend of mine recently lent me, “Most kids here have only seen a television through a store window, and they couldn’t even picture what a place like New York or California looks like. So for them to try and emulate a style of graffiti from there, it isn’t just implausible, it’s ridiculous.” It really crystallises the fact that these kids practically invented something that they can really call their own.
Politics are also crucial in the way that the country’s streetart manifests itself. Each time there’s an election due the city’s walls are white-washed ready for official political slogans. White-washed wall are perfect for the Brazilians to express themselves artistically as well, and they do. From their own version of tagging, called Pichação (which is completely unique from its well defined characteristics to the sheer death defying way that they get up, it’s amazing design work) to lettering to stunning mural style pieces to abstract art, it’s all there. It’s no surprise that the Brazilian streetart is unique, everything about the way they paint is different, even down to their equipment. The majority of artists don’t take their pick from racks of hi-quality artist aerosol paints. Their main weapon of choice are small rollers and whatever paint they can get their hands on.
Graffiti Brasil really takes you on a wonderful trip. On the way you get taught the history of Brazilian streetart, how the art gets done and detailed explanations of the different styles that can bee seen. Lots of Brazil’s greatest artists have their own dedicated sections. These include the obvious suspects like Os Gemeos, Nina and, one of my all time favourite artists, Alexandre Orion (previously blogged). There are also many greats that I’ve not heard of before. These include Nunca (Mayan styled characters), Onesto (dynamic characters) and Zezão (whose wonderful abstract sewer work I’ve blogged before).
It’s a real expedience, you really feel like you’ve learnt from the book as well as just looking at photos of art. It’s such a deep book, with so much substance, visually and culturally. You can get hold of a copy of Graffiti Brasil direct from Thames & Hudson or from all the normal places including Amazon UK & AmazonUS.