Circuito - Entrevista | Éder Oliveira - PGM 12

Summary

This video features an insightful conversation with Éder Oliveira, an artist from Pará, Brazil. He shares his journey as a painter, highlighting his focus on representing marginalized people and the concept of invisibility in society. His work, often depicted in street art, challenges viewers to reflect on the exclusion of common folk and those from the periphery. Éder delves into his creative process, including his use of monochromatic tones due to his recent discovery of color blindness. His participation in major art exhibitions, such as the São Paulo Biennial, has garnered attention for his unique perspective on Amazonian identity and social issues.

Takeaways

• 😀 Éder is a painter with a background in Art Education from the Federal University of Pará, with 11 years of experience in the art world.
• 😀 His artistic work focuses on representing human figures, particularly exploring the lives of ordinary people, especially from marginalized communities.
• 😀 Éder’s art emphasizes the theme of invisibility, highlighting those often overlooked in mainstream media and society.
• 😀 He draws inspiration from his roots in Timboteua, Pará, a rural area that shapes his focus on underrepresented individuals.
• 😀 Éder’s approach to portraiture involves capturing common people, offering them visibility by placing them in spaces where they are often ignored or disregarded.
• 😀 His creative process also draws from philosophical, anthropological, and contemporary concepts, blending these ideas with technical aspects of painting.
• 😀 Éder's work often challenges societal views on marginalized groups, using art as a vehicle for political and social commentary.
• 😀 He takes his art to public spaces, especially murals, to confront people with representations of individuals they may usually ignore.
• 😀 His technique includes the use of monochromatic tones and carefully chosen colors, even adapting his work to accommodate his recently discovered color blindness.
• 😀 Éder has participated in major exhibitions, such as the São Paulo Art Biennial, and his work has received positive reception for addressing important cultural and social themes, particularly related to the Amazon and its people.

Q & A

What inspired Éder Oliveira to start working with portraiture in his art?

Éder Oliveira was drawn to portraiture due to his curiosity about representing other people, particularly those who are often overlooked in society. He started his university journey focused on drawing and, over time, began exploring the concept of representing common people, specifically those from the outskirts of society.

How does Éder Oliveira characterize his work in terms of the 'invisible poetics'?

Éder Oliveira refers to his work as 'invisible poetics' because he often portrays individuals who are not typically represented in mainstream media, such as people from the margins of society, including those from rural areas. These people are often overlooked, making their representation a form of bringing visibility to the invisible.

What role does Éder Oliveira's background in Timboteua play in his artistic expression?

Éder Oliveira's origins in Timboteua, a rural area in Pará, are significant to his work. He uses his background to explore themes of marginality, focusing on individuals from the outskirts of urban life, often linking the rural and urban experiences, and highlighting the contrast between those in power and ordinary working people.

How does Éder Oliveira's approach to portraiture differ from traditional representations of portraits in art history?

In contrast to traditional portraiture, which often focuses on powerful figures like kings, nobles, and clergy, Éder Oliveira’s portraits focus on ordinary, often overlooked individuals. His works highlight people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, emphasizing their identity and significance in society.

What are some of the philosophical and conceptual influences on Éder Oliveira’s work?

Éder Oliveira’s work is influenced by philosophy, anthropology, and contemporary issues. His exploration of identity and marginality is informed by a deep engagement with these disciplines, where he critically examines the concepts of exclusion, visibility, and social power structures.

How does Éder Oliveira's work interact with public spaces and provoke reactions from the audience?

Éder Oliveira brings his artwork to public spaces, often using walls in the streets as canvases. This practice aims to confront passersby with the image of individuals who are usually ignored by society. By painting figures that are often controversial or marginalized, he seeks to provoke thought and challenge people's perceptions of social exclusion.

What technical challenges has Éder Oliveira faced due to his color blindness, and how does it affect his art?

Éder Oliveira only recently discovered he is colorblind, which had previously caused him to struggle with color perception. This has led him to adopt a more monochromatic approach in his work, focusing on light and shadow rather than vibrant color. He uses specific colors, like red, which hold particular symbolic significance within his themes.

What is the concept behind Éder Oliveira’s ongoing art project titled 'Red Pages'?

'Red Pages' is a current project by Éder Oliveira in which he explores the color red, which has specific meanings tied to his themes of social and cultural identity. The project involves a deep engagement with the color's symbolism in relation to the people and issues he represents.

How has Éder Oliveira’s work been received in art exhibitions outside his home state?

Éder Oliveira's work has been well-received in exhibitions both in Brazil and internationally. His participation in prestigious events, such as the São Paulo Art Biennial, has garnered attention, particularly for his thematic focus on the Amazon and the representation of marginalized people. His art challenges traditional notions and brings attention to important contemporary issues.

What does Éder Oliveira hope to achieve with his portrayal of the Amazonian people in his artwork?

Éder Oliveira seeks to bring attention to the Amazonian people, who are often invisible in global discourse despite the region's central importance. By focusing on ordinary workers and marginalized individuals, he aims to challenge perceptions of these people as 'other' and give them a rightful place in the narrative of contemporary art.