By Rodrigo Brandão

Having recently become a favorite of local collectors and art critics, Brazilian sculptor Israel Vinicius Macedo, a 25-year-old from São Paulo, Brazil, is ready to become a full-time artist.

Just a week ago, one of Macedo’s latest work, O Bipolar (see image below), was awarded fourth place (out of 300 selected pieces) on the International Biennial in Rome. And two weeks from today, Israel will be opening his private art studio and atelier in São Paulo, just a couple of blocks from his home. No more “clay over the bed linen,” says Macedo.

In this exclusive interview with BrazilNYC, Israel Macedo talks about his “human apple” series and shares some of his thoughts about how difficult it is to be a young artist in Brazil.

Israel Vinicius Macedo

Rodrigo Brandão: One of the reasons for the success of your recent series of sculptures, the “human apples,” is the almost indecipherable emotions emanating from them. Their faces seem torn into multiple directions, often displaying contradicting emotions. How do you plan the emotional landscape of each of these sculptures? And what is the idea behind this kind of emotional expression in your art work?

Israel Vinicius Macedo: In my work I try to express the various emotions that each of us go through in our lives, the trials, joys and sorrows that surround us every day, whether these are caused by other people, our environment, or by our own struggles and decisions. My apples represent free will and responsibility, besides carrying the catholic symbolism of Adam and Eve’s transgression. It was the choice of eating the forbidden fruit that provided the knowledge and human suffering. I believe it is our actions and decisions that determine what we feel, what we believe, and especially in the power of influencing and being influenced.

In some of my works you can notice the presence of an ant; it represents the influences of other people and environments. For example, in my work “The bipolar”, it is not just about bipolar disorder, but the vision I have of how people conceal certain things, because the society demands, and people feel obliged to smile when they want cry, or cry when you want to laugh. We all live it, we are all bipolar and we may not notice it. And the ant is our society and its cynicism, therefore the expression of cynicism.

Israel Vinicius Macedo's Abaporu

RB: One of your pieces, Abaporu, is a lovely reference to Tarsilia do Amaral‘s now canonical oil painting, also called Abaporu. There must have been several (failed) attempts to decipher your intentions behind such work, more so given the specifics of Amaral’s painting and its place in Brazilian art (it was a gift to her then-husband Oswald de Andrade). What was the reaction to this particular piece in Brazil? Can you tell us why you decided to add to (and re-visit) Tarsilia’s work?

Israel: Tarsila´s Abaporu was one of the first of the Antropofagia period, and certainly the most famous. The Antropofagia period was actually an art movement initiated by Oswald de Andrade in the writing and Tarsila in painting, it also included other modernist artists. This art movement was a search for national identity, a rupture in art to what was the conventional American and European influences. My decision to re-visit this master piece of Tarsila do Amaral work was a tribute to the courage to initiate a national movement.

Tarsilia Do Amaral

I have only exhibited this sculpture in one art show at the end of last year and the reaction was very interesting, I did not explain, at the time, what lead myself to produce that sculpture and I heard people saying anything from “That´s funny” to “Wasn´t that a painting?” And from a few art critics that actually saw my Abaporu, they said the work was a youth and modern look at a traditional work.

That was the last sculpture I did last year and I am still saving it to an exhibition next April here in São Paulo. There I will really hear what people do think about this, I had the nerve to re-visit probably the most known Brazilian painting, I will have to be prepared to hear whatever sentence the audience will give me.

Israel Macedo's The Bipolar

RB: What are your preferred materials? Are you interested in exploring different mediums (i.e. plaster, wood, marble, stone…) throughout your career or are you hoping to stick to one source and push it to its limit?

Israel: Most of the materials must be based on an already shaped art piece, in the case of carved (marble and stone) and also merged (metals and resins). The original work can be made in various materials such as Plasticine, clay, plaster, etc. I really like the results I have with the clay, and casting processes for that work. To be honest, nothing compares to the original in clay, I really love it, the expressions are perfect or at least as perfect as the artist made with its own hands.

When I merge a work, both using Bronze or resin, I am very thorough and detailed, I want my “puppies” perfect and closer as possible to the original. The funny thing is that each wax mould taken after the pattern (considering the Bronze process), seams to me very unique, with little details unique in each one. I do exactly 6 pieces to each of my sculptures, I like the exclusivity. To control, I number each, and just looking for each one of them, I know which of the 6 pieces it is. I like this routine of creation that I have, but soon, I hope to experience other means. I also like challenges.

Israel Vinicius Macedo working on one of his "Human Apples."

RB: Do you ever think about the role of art (and the artist) in Brazilian society? And if so, do you have other young sculptors who are working with you, maybe trying to break new grounds and even, create new audiences?

Israel: I joined a small group of artists, both sculptors and painters, more like a group of friends, and we all work on our own projects and help each other, so it is easier to break some barriers. I have artist friends of a wide range of ages, and this contact allows me to absorb the vast experience from the older and achievements of the younger, we all benefit from this contact.

The market is restricted to established artists, and therefore, we, young artists, go through a tough time to seek opportunities to disseminate and even sell our art. Sad to say, but unfortunately many can not spend their full time only as artists and need another job even to finance their art. The lack of incentive for these new artists forces many of them to quit, actually, and even I stopped working as an artist for several years because of lacking proper backing. I actually started as a painter, in my teenage years, and not as a sculptor.

Today, things are very different for me, my work is recognized, and I have works in several galleries in Brazil and other countries. I attended an exhibition there in New York, and was recently was invited to participate in the International Biennial of art of Rome, where I was represented by my work “The Bipolar”. Let me just tell you that I got the news a few days ago that I got the 4th place in the final classification! I am very glad, The invitation to the Biennial was a surprise and receiving this acknowledgment to my work and efforts is fantastic! I still have a long path in front of me, but I feel I am in the right path.

I also try to direct my work not only to traditional art market, trying to attract young people, young not in age but in art, those who go to an exhibition at the very first time for example, and thus show the importance of art in those who are starting. This audience usually is very sincere, evaluate the work, idea, creativity and identification, the name of the artist is only a surplus. Most young people are lacking of artistic culture, often find the subject already exceeded. When another young person shows them the art world, it becomes much more interesting and what previously seemed “boring” becomes “cool”.

There is also a very important social side to be explored: I am almost done developing a project to try helping people in need, and I’ll start raising sponsorship after that. It’s a street exhibition, which will showcase about 12 big sculptures in fiberglass, between 5 and 6.5 feet. These sculptures are to be exhibited in public places, such as parks and city squares during a period of one month, and at the end of this period, they go to a public auction and all money from the sales is to be used in social programs to citizens in need.

Israel Macedo's O Filho de Guilherme Tell

RB: How do you approach sculpture making? Is there a specific work ritual that allows you to be more creative, or in the right head space?

Israel: My creative process is inspired by a characteristic of mine, I’m kind of an observer, when surrounded by other people I prefer to listen and look, I’m usually the least to speech. It’s funny, but I like the challenge of seeking to understand what is happening with other people, and when you look closely, you realize things imperceptible to those who are just talking and talking. It is simple to understand what I’m saying, who was ever surprised by statements of mother, father or close friend, like, “There is no use lying to me, I know you…”. People usually observe and care about who is closer, I get to watch everyone. When I start a new sculpture, I try to portray my feelings and perceptions that I see on people around me. It’s hard to run out of creativity when it comes to man X feeling.

RB: What are some your national and international artistic references? Is there any one particular sculptor that has inspired you to join the art ranks?

Israel: I like surrealism, My strongest references are Salvador Dalí and Vito Campanella (Dali worked on sculptures as well as painting and Campanella is a great painter). I admire a lot of the work of my former teacher, the Brazilian artist Claudia Fernandes, there is nothing she can not do and that’s amazing. The realism of her work is surprisingly alive and in my opinion is among the best sculptors in the world, her work is inspiring.

RB: What are your plans for 2010, as far as taking your work to a new artistic level?

Israel: I hope 2010 is long enough for all my plans and dreams. For the second semester I am still negotiating an exhibition in Portugal, together with another artist friend of mine. Also if I finish my project and find financial support I expect by the end of the year to have my big fiber glass sculptures on parks and by the sidewalks of a city somewhere, must probably it will be Mogi das Cruzes, the city I was born. Many plans, maybe too many, but I hope to put all of them in action.

In April, I will be opening my own Atelier, which is an achievement. I have been struggling with that, mostly because it is very hard to work with clay in the same apartment where one lives. It is an easy way to work; I just wake up and I am in my working place, many would find it wonderful in a city like São Paulo, with a chaotic traffic, but when you go to bed and find clay over your bed linen, you really miss going to work. So starting in April, I will go to work, out of my house, but luckily it is in the neighborhood, only 15 minutes from my home. Also in April I will have a collective exhibition in an art gallery in São Paulo.

And really close, for Eastern, I will be in New York, It is a short holiday trip to visit friends and the gallery where I still have a couple of sculptures in exhibition. But I hope to visit some other galleries and see a few good art exhibitions there, to give me some ideas. Hope your readers can give me some tips and tricks, write to me and let me know if my apples are welcome in the Big Apple!