SUPPORTING ARTISTS WHO INSPIRE SOCIAL CHANGE
The work is a powerful image of a faceless man in a suit during the Covid virus time. He is obviously well off, from the economic point of view, in light of his clothing, but he is really a “Nowhere Man” who has no expression and therefore is oblivious to the suffering of the people in Cracklandia*. He is just a “suit” in the worst sense of the word, but the image is one that speaks volumes regarding this very prominent issue of our time. Please listen to the song Nowhere Man by the Beatles.
OZI began his street art career in 1985, supported and influenced by two great artists who started the graffiti scene in São Paulo, Alex Vallauri and Maurício Villaça. At the beginning, graffiti art was considered an act of political defiance by some and an act of defacing public property by others. As time has passed, however, the art of OZI and his fellow artists has become to be viewed as a valuable and respected type of expression. Since he began working OZI has created numerous works on the walls in the city, making him a member of the first generation of graffiti artists in Brazil. His work has been shown at galleries, museums and cultural centers as well as outdoor areas in Brazil and abroad.
The profit from the sale of this print will be donated to the Birico Project*, https://mungunzadigital.com.br/birico/ and @birico.arte
This print is in New York City and it can be viewed in person, by appointment. Please send an email to contact@urbanartrevolution.com
Provenance: https://mungunzadigital.com.br/produto/produto-21/*
REF: BA3-22 Categorias: A-3, Birico Tag: Felipe Risada
*”Birico Surrealista” was part of a project called “Birico” which brought together over 40 artists to assist downtrodden people by the sale of artworks such as this one. “Birico”, in Portuguese refers to a drug known as crack divided in two as a strategy of survival and solidarity amongst those people who have few, if any, material resources and have to find their way to live in the world. These people for the most part live in downtown Sao Paulo in an area known as Cracklandia (Cracolandia), in reference to drug addiction and the issues that come with that condition. The idea is to try to help raise these people up from where they are to have a better and safer existence for them and their children in this special time of covid. The cost of this work was donated to the Birico project and it was on sale by mungunzadigital.com to the general public.