What does "Cisma" mean?
"Cisma" in Portuguese means schism,
suspicion and strong conviction.
. . .
Where do you live?
I lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil all my life.
. . .
Do you notice that there is a certain look
to contemporary Brazilian design?
There's no contemporary Brazilian design look.
I don't think that is a considerable group of people here
thinking together and looking like the same way.
. . .
How old were you when you first used a computer?
How long have you been drawing?
When I was 12 I won a MSX in a children's
drawing contest. I got the second place, the first one was
a Disneyland trip. I liked more my prize.
I've always been drawing. I remember my mom
proud of my drawings when I was child. Last year my mom confess
me that were horrible, very very ugly, she lied because she
want to keep me doing that.
. . .
You have a very interesting and unique sense
of typography. Do you make complete fonts, or do you mostly
construct only the letters needed for each piece?
I never did a complete font. Just complete
words. I think it came from graffiti; letters are done just
for write a name.
. . .
Your work has many of the hard edges and
clean lines that I would attribute to graphic design, but
is filled to with compassion and seductive narrative. It is
as if you are drawing medical diagrams of human emotions.
Are these images clear to you in your mind before you start
working on them or are they more of a result of your process?
I work as designer, so I bring a lot of graphic
solutions with me. I think this is me, anyway. I don't fight
against this. Well, when I begin to draw, the whole image
is not clear yet. I try to draw more freely I can. Then some
images will appearing and the meaning of everything as well.
I just stop when the meaning is complete for me.
. . .
Do you consider yourself an artist, or a
designer? Is the distinction important to you?
I'm both, the things are always mixing each
other, interfering. The distinction, I think is done by the
proposal of each work. If is to try to solve graphic problems
to someone it's design, if is try to solve your own life problems
it's art.
. . .
Do you see your work fitting into the traditional
fine art gallery environment? Also, do you think that the
community of artists online (as you know it now) will find
its way to the established gallery environment and flourish
there?
I don't see my website on a art gallery, it's
sounds strange... why a showing a website in a place? A website
is not in everywhere? In every connected computer? I'm not
against art galleries, I just think that this special type
of work don't fits in there.
. . .
Graffiti has roots in rebellion and anti-establishment:
people are writing words on public walls, and risking getting
arrested to get their message/work out there. That says a
lot about the politics of graffiti as an art form. Do you
think that new media has developed its own set of politics
that are relevant right now?
As graffiti, Internet is a media, a way to
communicate. I always thought that graffiti and online art
have a lot of aspects in common, for example:
- cheap to do it
- independent work
- a lot of people will see it, it's for
masses
- who does it wants fame!
- search for best exposure
- if you don't get arrested, you can do anything,
no rules.
In graffiti anonymity is important, avoid
problems with police and keep yourwork away from pressure.
Inspired by this I took off my email address fromCisma. I
know I miss some good opportunity, but at the same time I
don't loose time replying emails and could control more easily
my ego.
. . .
It's my understanding that there is a huge
difference between being well-off in brazil and being shit-faced
poor. Is graffiti a part of the underclass there, or is it,
like computers, available only to the wealthy?
You are right. It's a mistake to say that
Internet is cheap to do it. I'm wrong about that. Graffiti
is cheaper. Internet is only cheaper than doing a magazine
or something like this.
. . .
Are there industries there that support
graffiti in Sao Paulo, or is it still totally underground?
There's no support to graffiti here, "os
gemeos" are the only guys that receive some kind of support
from Colorgin, the main spray can manufacturer here.
In Brazil, there is a legitimate thing that
still underground and industries never supported it, it's
called "pixação" , some kind of Brazilian
tag. Always illegal, ordinary people hate and lot of guys
here still do it.
. . .
How legitimate is it to do web graphics?
Are there a lot of companies who will see this work and appreciate
it, offer jobs to young designers or is it also part of an
underground?
If you show your work in internet a lot of
people will try to contact you for doing something. The things
you choose to do it is what keeps it underground or not.
. . .
Many design sites are the built-in media/propaganda
engines of the online creative community. Do you think that
these "news" sites are healthy and beneficial to
the creative community, or do you think that they promote
trends, cliques, and stagnation?
I think they are only specialized zines. If
somebody just pay attention on this sites it's not Surfstation's
fault. I think they just should see something else. Take a
walk, maybe.
. . .
If you could work with any musician, who
would it be?
Now, Bethoven.
. . .
If you could have a piece of art by anyone,
who would it be by?
Robert Crumb. He's real.
[INTERVIEW CONDUCTED VIA EMAIL, MARCH 2002]
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