VITCHÉ - interview
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1. Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about yourself.

I have lived in Cambuci, São Paulo ever since I was born. It is a very gray place full of factories. I have been playing in the streets and painting since I was a kid. I have known graffiti since the 80s. I began writing myself soon after.

2. Your work is quite clearly inspired by the South American culture. Do your paintings carry any special message?

I like ancient civilisations that existed before big cities appeared. I love that energy. Last year, I went to Machu Picchu and it was really inspiring for me. I love the energy that springs from rain forests and ancient rituals, those from Brazil as well as the rest of the planet.

3. Tell us something about your “eye” project.

In São Paulo people cut down trees because they obstruct the parked cars or cast shadows on new houses or shops. I see that from a different point of view, it is a great damage to nature and that’s why I paint eyes that hallow the remains of the dead trees. In Brazil, rain forests are being plundered and many animals are dying just for money these days.

4. How did you start making puppets of wood that you find in the streets and what do they represent?

I started in 1999. I like the magic of the wood and the idea that the waste in the street was once a tree. I want to transform it into a puppet; I want to give it a new life.

5. You have been in Prague for two weeks. Do you like it here? What have you discovered?

I like Prague very much, it is very inspiring and I keep coming across a lot of things that I find in São Paulo too. Travelling and discovering other cultures and places is fine but I think that the world should stop and think. I see a lot of things in the world and feel that something is wrong. One day, man will have any material he could possibly want but will not have water to drink.



Links:
http://www.vitche.com.br