A Simple and Universal Language
Artist Eltono’s Barrio project is a simple and thoughtful idea: bringing art directly to the people who live in the poorest areas of Brazil. fluoro talked with Eltono about the genesis of the Barrio project – his painting of favela Gardenia Azul.
(f) What drew you to Gardenia Azul?
(E) Nuria Mora and I were traveling in Brazil in April 2006. We were getting very inspired by the auto-construction houses people were building in the outskirts of the cities, the architecture, the materials used and the urban fabric that was created, really human scale and adapted to the hills, it looked very interesting to us. From then we became very interested in finding a way to explore these areas, meet the residents and talk with them to offer them painting on the incredible material compositions their houses were made of. The girlfriend of a relative was living in the Gardenia Azul favela in Rio de Janeiro, and after talking with the right people and explaining what want we wanted to do, we were kindly invited to spend a couple of days with the community and paint their doors.
(f) How does art change life for the better?
(E) Art is a simple and universal language, nobody needs to be educated to contemplate it. Composition and colors are basic stimuli that everybody can receive. Contrary to what people usually think, there is no need to understand art, art is something to feel. Art in the street is a very simple way to make everyday people’s life a little bit better, a colorful environment instantaneously brings happiness and in a neighborhood it can act as a social cohesion catalyst.
(f) What was the reaction of the public to this art that suddenly appeared throughout Gardenia Azul? In particular, how did the youths react?
(E) Our statement since the beginning was very simple; we thought, unfortunately, the majority of the people living in Gardenia Azul will never enter an art gallery or a museum, so if they can’t go to see art, let’s make art come to them. Our humble input to people’s door was very gratefully received and residents were showing a real interest toward our paintings making us understand that the reception of art stimuli is universal, but what is not universal is the access to art.
The reaction of the youths was very simple: once we painted the first door, they instantaneously grabbed our arm and asked us to paint their house door too!!!
(f) What is next for Eltono?
(E) A painting residency in an urban village in the outskirts of Beijing.
