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Romualdo Vieira de Mello

"My work deals with Mestizo Brazil: Africans, Indigenous and Europeans; I began to venture in this realm in 1975. At that time I was working as a lawyer and I was called to help a performance group, 'The Bird and the Dirt,' enter the country with their equipment. After this I joined them in all of their dance, music and video presentations.

"There was a group of Xingu people with their wares in our section of the Biennial. I was enchanted by a cloak made from string and feathers, and this influenced my decision to transform my line of work. I began to research new natural materials like fibers, beads, rocks, feathers, shells, bones and paper. The result was a unique style, materialized in pieces like sculptures, objects and textile jewels."

"I am very worried about the environment. Today, parallel to my personal textile art, I teach techniques of paper recycling at a cooperative of clothiers and artisans from the largest favela (low-income areas) on the continent. I believe that Brazil has the capacity to homogenize, to harmonize and to join together. My work strives to combine art forms with the resources offered by nature, my eternal font of inspiration. I hope that Novica can help to disseminate this artistic work and to educate the world about the diversity of Brazilian culture."

About Vieira de Mello, Pietro Maria Bardi, director of the Sao Paulo Art Museum, says, "Romualdo makes jewelry -- a delight of forms, imagination, and discovery, a resuscitation of materials. Every piece is executed with finesse and ultra-milimetric precision. In short, a cornucopia of styles, love and incredible uniqueness".