Claudio Ethos

Brazilian Surrealist Graffiti

Claudio Ethos hails from Sao Paolo, Brazil and his artistic history starts from very humble beginnings. From painting in the classic Brazilian style of Pichacao, to his current surrealist self, Ethos continues to push the creative envelope. His choice of using just stark black and white in his work brings his work to a more dramatic level, where the 'distraction' of colours cannot be employed. We see a very bright future for this young artist and hope to see his work appear more and more on European soil.

www.claudioethos.com

- Please tell us a little about yourself and your personal history.

C: My name is Claudio Rafael, I have been painting for 10 years. I have a very big family with 14 brothers. I studied for 2 years at a college for visual arts but didn't finish the course.

I have been interested in graffiti since the 90's. I was surrounded by Pichacao (the Sao Paolo tag handstyle) and I personally started painting at the end of the 90's in a small town in Sao Paolo, called Birigui.

- Can you describe your style of painting? What are your influences and inspirations over the years?

C: I think my style is based on the atmosphere of the streets. My characters are psychological impressions about the vibes I find in the environment and surrounding architecture where I live.

I have always been inspired by grafitti, music and subcultures , as I think that there is alot of creative energy that can be found in these underground scenes.

I like Jungle music, throw-ups, pichacao, the custom of balloon art, whether they are in popular culture or even traditional.

- I see some unique concepts and a surrealist figurative style in your work, i.e. man with a fish head, machine body or something coming out from brain etc... Where all those crazy ideas come from?

C: It's unclear for me where I get these ideas from, but in my work I always search for interpretation of pure composition forms inside space. The symbols of those images appear like a psychological check up based on the places I am painting in or within my own experiences.

- You don't tend to use many colours in your work, why is that?

C: There weren't many varieties of colours available in my small town and I also don't like the use of vibrant colors and strong tones. I think black and white creates a dramatic atmosphere which I like working in.

- What are the differences for you of working on the street compared to working on canvas? Which is more fun or important?

C: They are completely different languages. On the streets, there are many factors that makes sure that each painting session is different from the last. It's never passive because you always have to take into account risk, the architecture and other crazy things happening on the streets. The studio work is more introspective and it favors the development of much deeper concepts and of course, there is no time pressure. For me the two complement each other, both languages need each other, and I need to gain more experience with studio work.

- Tell us about your home town, Sao Paulo. What is the art scene like now? Are there still many graff writers? Any popular style or movement in current Brazilian art? What is the difference to other places like London or New York.

C: Sao Paulo has lot of chaos like cars, garbage, violence etc...which can ironically also bring positive things with it. There are a lot of artists, musicians and philosophers here too.
I love the original styles of Sao Paulo like the pichacao , baloeiros and some graffiti painting styles like rollers and latex. These things made our street scene singular compared to other big cities. The pichadores scene is very strong in here and very spontaneous with alot of crews all over the city.

The big difference from New York is that our whole city is painted with tags and isn't unique to just a singular district or region. I think the same can be said about London too. There are only certain areas that have graffiti. I also think our calligraphy is unique just like the way we do our rooftop painting.

- Apart from Sao Paulo, where else have you painted?

C: My last excursion was to New York, where I did some painting. I have also travelled recently to Italy ,and San Francisco, U.S.A. I try to paint in every destination I visit as I think that it's a good way to discover and understand that particular place.

- Do you have a crew or people that you like to work with?

C: In the beginning ETHOS was actually 2 different people who wrote the same thing; myself and IGNOTO. At this time we did only tags and throw ups.
Nowadays, I mainly paint by myself and IGNOTO now has his own crew A.M.E.

- Do you think it's more important to have one skill that you are very well known for or to be able to dabble in other kinds of skill, like sculpture, video or installation?

C: I believe that its important have a developed ability behind the concept. I believe the art is always a work in progress.

I have always liked drawing and think that this is my principal vein in art. This factor is very important for my painting and in the future, it will define my way for working in other creative languages like video installation and another things I hope to develop in the future.

- If you could collaborate with any artist, musician or director in the world, who would you work with?

C: I would most like to work (in terms of painting) with video director, Floria Siegismond. There are many others artists who I would like to work with...in fact, far too many to name.

- Is there an overall message you are trying to achieve in your work?

C: There isn't a political or an existentially unique concept behind my work. The art is my way of communicating to the universe.I believe there are many feelings and sensations that cross us and we still donﾕt have specific name for them all. My work is meant to catch and highlight these things, not try and explain them.

- Any future plans?
C: Painting ,painting,painting....

Written by H.Ichise