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Brazilian artist Zee Parito Parito seeks to establish a harmonious connection between humanity and the environment, drawing inspiration from diverse cultural influences, including Brazilian, African and American traditions. increase. His artist work spans a wide range of scales, from site-specific epic murals to intimate figurative works on canvas. His dedication to environmental protection is reflected in his work, which focuses on uplifting and honoring marginalized communities and historically ignored voices.
Feature Director, DSCENE Magazine Catalina Doric We sat down with Mr. See to talk about expression, about challenging stereotypes, and about the upcoming exhibition. Ruth Gallery New York City.
What made you interested in art? – When I was 15, I loved skateboarding and soccer, but I injured my knee and couldn’t play those sports anymore. I remember being very sad at that time. So her mother sent me to an art class. It was one of the things I wanted to do the most when I was a kid.
My earliest art memories are of my childhood enjoying comic books and doodling in Brazil as a teenager. What kept me interested in art was the constant need to express myself and share a message. As a child, I think I shared this message and expressed myself through painting. When I was a teenager, I did graffiti on walls, and now I do it on canvas.
Your art career began with life-size murals on the streets of São Paulo. Why did you decide to switch from wall to canvas? – I have always liked working on canvases and walls. For the last three years my focus has been on canvas, but I still do occasional murals. I think switching from walls and huge surfaces to canvas is just my evolution as an artist. The more I paint, the more I want to diversify my means of expression. Painting on a small scale just got a whole lot easier. When painting outside, you have to deal with things outside your control, such as weather, people, and other external issues. Painting on canvas allows me to think about the deeper meaning of my paintings, to play with different themes and compositions, and to incorporate new elements into each piece that I could not include before. can. When working on murals, I mostly freestyled the surfaces I painted. Now that I can see the whole canvas and envision it, I spend a lot of time planning and thinking about what to do next.
Your work is known for using vibrant colors, loose brushwork, and dynamic imagery. Tell us more about your visual style. How did it evolve? – Color is a big part of my work and I believe that color can be used to create and express different emotions. I like to think that my work just flows. Paintings have an ‘unfinished’ nature and create this free experience for the viewer. I’m from Brazil, so there’s always bright colors and a tropical vibe. But my work also has a big visual impact on African and African-American culture. Over the last few years I have spent a lot of time traveling to America and to different countries in Africa and this has definitely influenced and evolved my art.
I want to challenge the stereotypes we tend to be placed in and the environments in which we are viewed. Instead of focusing on our trauma, we want to show the black experience of love, leisure, happiness and confidence. For once, I want these black bodies to be the protagonists of their own stories.
The title of the new show, “Won’t You Celebrate with Me,” is inspired by Lucille Clifton’s poem of the same name. What is the relationship between her poetry and your art? – Lucille spent her entire life in Baltimore, where I traveled back and forth between Baltimore and Brazil. I first read this poem by Lucille about three or four years ago, and it inspired an actual “Will You Celebrate With Me” painting I did last year, which was later released at the Baltimore Museum of Art. It was also my first work in . When I started thinking about this exhibition coming up, I went back to all the documents and texts from Lucille and remembered how beautiful it was. This poem translates very well to the exhibition as an invitation to the exhibition, a warm welcome to celebrate with me. One of my favorite lines of poetry is “Come and celebrate with me that something tried to kill me every day and failed.” That inspired me to build a show that captures the leisure and resilience that lies within the Black experience.
Through your work, you provide a nuanced and multifaceted depiction of the diverse realities that black people experience. what is the message? – The idea of representation and how we refer to culture and history through painting is very interesting to me. There will always be great artists who portray black trauma and pain, and I think that’s still very important. But I want to normalize the presence of black bodies in art in museums, institutions and galleries. I want to challenge the stereotypes we tend to be placed in and the environments in which we are viewed. Instead of focusing on our trauma, we want to show the black experience of love, leisure, happiness and confidence. For once, I want these black bodies to be the protagonists of their own stories.
Your work exudes a sense of optimism, despite the seriousness of the subject matter. Are you optimistic about the direction the world is heading? – I’m an optimist at heart, so I’m really happy that my audience recognizes that in my work. My paintings depict lovely, simple, leisurely moments, people enjoying their free time, and all the simple things in life. I have lived in Brazil, the United States, and Africa, and despite having similar traumas and skin colors and having similar stories, being black in Brazil and being black in the United States and that the experience of being Black is the same. Similar in Africa, but different. These varied experiences, and the critical lack of representation in art history, testify to the importance of telling black stories rooted in fact. But what I paint is also reality, moments of shared reality inspired by real people in my own life. I hope that seeing happier moments on canvas will inspire people to reflect on their surroundings and celebrate themselves, regardless of where they come from.
As black people, no matter what part of the world we live in, we’ve often been made to feel our struggles are a badge of honor. The tougher our skin, and the harder life is, the more it “proves” how strong we are. I challenge that narrative with my work and want people to understand that there is strength in leisure time.
Subjects are often depicted in a state of leisure, enjoying life’s simple pleasures. Is leisure, as Fred Morten says, necessary? – Leisure should be celebrated and enjoyed more. I am from Brazil and the lifestyle there is based on family and leisure. I live on a farm in the country, so the pace is a little slower and quieter. This peaceful state always inspires me and gives me the space to be as creative as I want. As black people, no matter what part of the world we live in, we’ve often been made to feel our struggles are a badge of honor. The tougher our skin, and the harder life is, the more it “proves” how strong we are. I challenge that narrative with my work and want people to understand that there is strength in leisure time. As Lucille puts it in her poem, “…every day something tried to kill me, but it failed.” I hope people celebrate getting through another day. increase.
How do you think new digital and virtual media will affect the future evolution of figures? – I believe that artists and art spaces will continue to evolve and progress, but that will never change the way I create my own work. Most of my paintings come to me in the form of dreams, and no technology can create that vision more than my own two hands and human creativity.
Are there any artists, current or past, that particularly resonate with you? – My favorite artists past and present are Paul Gauguin, Tarsila de Amaral, Kelly James Marshall, Matisse, David Hockney, Mickalen Thomas, Derrick Adams, Catherine Bernhardt, Amoako Boafo, Jade Fadojutimi, Claire Tabouré, Adriana Varejean and Emmanoel Araujo. to mention.
Who is your hero in real life? – My mother and my father. The strongest and kindest heroes I know.
what’s next? – I really enjoy my life just painting and spending my days. I want to continue making work that exudes hope and love because I think it’s important not to forget a part of the black experience. I don’t know where my life will take me next, but I’m happy with the path I’m on now.
See Palit’s first solo exhibition in New York opens on Friday, May 19th at the Luce Gallery in New York City.
Keep up with Zéh Palito on Instagram – @zehpalito
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