This piece called, "Protectors of the Amazonian Rainforest" in English, was inspired by a trip I made to Egypt for a wedding with my friends from SMFA. The trip was incredible, and spending time and making art together again felt magical. We saw so much amazing art during the trip, but seeing the paintings inside the tombs was probably the most impactful. Everything was so preserved and colorful, and the paintings depicted Egyptian life in a way that felt almost celebratory—documenting and honoring so much of their daily lives.
When I returned from Egypt, I felt more inspired and creative than I had in years. I kept thinking about how incredible it was to belong to a culture that spanned so far back in time, and how much influence this one culture had on so many others. I began thinking about how I could do something similar for Brazilian culture—creating a visual record that celebrates and preserves the stories, figures, and natural world that are important to us. I chose to mimic the style of Ancient Egyptian paintings as a direct reference to the way they used art to document and honor their own culture.
I created a digital painting depicting flora, fauna, and folkloric figures from Brazilian culture, specifically from the Amazon Rainforest. Through this imagined continuation of the Egyptian tradition, I wanted to immortalize these figures, honor their importance to Brazilian culture, and celebrate the richness of where I come from.
