Home » Young Black Brazilian painter making waves on the art scene
Featured Global News News South America

Young Black Brazilian painter making waves on the art scene


Known by the name “Jota”, his works are highly sought after by collectors both at home and abroad.

His creations are drawn from the Rio’s Chapadao favela, or poor working-class neighbourhood, where he grew up, and where both he and his mother still live.

He is one of a new generation of black artists born in Rio’s slums who are gaining prominence in contemporary art fairs and prestigious museums.

“I paint scenes of daily life, you know. Everything that happens here, I want to put it into my canvas,” he says.

Jota first works were made using cheap acrylic ink on wooden plates he collected from construction sites.

But that all changed when Instagram photos of his work attracted the attention of Margareth Telles, founder of the platform MT Projetos de arte. It now provides Jota with materials, a studio in the city centre and manages the sale of his work.

At the annual contemporary art fair, ArtRio, his paintings are sold within hours. At the last edition in September last year, one of his works sold for about €2,700. With the money, he bought a house 100 metres from his mother’s home.

Source : Africa News

Translate