Marcelo Baptista has been making art since childhood and has worked professionally in crafts and visual arts since long before graduating from the National School of Fine Arts in Montevideo in 1992. He currently lives in Florianópolis (SC), where 24 years ago he began creating sculptures made from driftwood brought in by the tide. These pieces are imbued with the mystery of their origins and the very expression of life and time found in their suggestive organic shapes and textures.
His production process is as organic as the material itself, transforming Flora into an imaginary Avifauna, reconnecting Culture and Nature. His pieces are part of the collection at CRAB in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and the University of Amazonas (UNAMA) in Belém (PA), as well as private collections across several countries in Europe and the Americas. Marcelo was one of the artisans honored in the 2024 CRAB exhibition – Solo Criativo.
How did your journey into the art world begin?
Certainly in my mother's womb. She started painting when she was pregnant with me. Other than that, it began as it does with all children, except I just never stopped.
What is your creative process like?
In general, it is spontaneous, without preparation. It emerges through a playful, experimental process.
What are your sources of inspiration?
Nature, first and foremost. Also photographs, the human body, human emotions. A stain. Death. Mystery...
Who are the artistic influences that have impacted your work?
My mother, a painter and poet. My father, an actor and theater director. And great artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joaquim Torres García, Edvard Munch, among many others.
What is the meaning of art in your life?
Life is the meaning of art in my life.
Have you participated in any notable exhibitions that you would like to share?
Yes, several. The first, in 1983: drawings and paintings on paper in Olinda (PE) at Bar Querubim (mentioned by Alceu Valença in the song Balanço de Rede). In 1994, paintings on canvas at the Cabildo Historical Museum and Archive in Montevideo, Uruguay. In 2002, at the Fraletti Rubbo Gallery and the Afonso Pena Airport in Curitiba (PR), when I won first prize in the GVT (now Vivo) "Galeria Aberta" mural art contest. In 2024, when I was honored at the Center for Reference of Brazilian Handicrafts (CRAB) in Rio de Janeiro with the Pássaros do Sul (Birds of the South).
