Everyday colors and legacy, discover the history of the Bahian Artist
Marcos da Matta was born in a small town in the interior of Bahia, the son of a single mother and the youngest of three siblings. From an early age, he faced challenges in his career. “I never had many job and study opportunities in the city where I grew up. I studied in public school and finished high school in 2008. I was already thinking about taking the ENEM, but I never saw myself in those traditional places of work,” says Marcos, reflecting on the limitations of that time.
The artistic references in the city were those of local sculptors, but none of them were involved in the art market. “Art events there were very scarce; we only had one annual art fair. Living solely on art in the interior of Bahia was not possible at that time,” he explains.
Despite the difficulties, he always liked to draw and paint, even without seeing the possibility of making art a profession. “At the same time, it was difficult to think and live without art.”
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After completing high school, Marcos moved to Salvador in search of employment and took a job in a restaurant. “I continued with art as my escape valve,” he says. However, adjusting to life in the big city was not easy, and he eventually returned to the countryside.
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Back in his hometown, he started doing art odd jobs and, in 2013, he discovered a visual arts course in Cachoeira, which was close to his house. “I joined the course in 2014 using the ENEM. It was a course focused on technologies, such as photography and web design, but I realized that my art line was more traditional, with more handmade paintings and works”, reveals Marcos. He entered the course already with a personal technique, developed from his previous experiences and learning.
Marcos graduated in 2019, but soon faced the pandemic crisis, which led him to an important reflection: “I had to understand if I would follow the dream of being an independent artist or if I would seek a job in a large company in the traditional market.” During the Cachoeira International Literary Fair, he decided to sell his works on the street and, observing the daily routine, created the first works in the Correria Series, which were later exhibited at SP Arte Rotas Brasileiras.
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Marcos's first appearance at SP Arte took place online during the pandemic. “It was a game-changer. My work began to have more visibility, but it still wasn't enough to be able to support myself with that alone,” she confesses. In 2021, he even considered giving up, but the pandemic helped him to create more intensely, using art as therapy. “The following year, a gallery in Salvador offered to take care of me and represent me,” she says, recalling the support received.
One of the main challenges you face is the circulation of your work. “Most of the artists and works are centered on the Rio-São Paulo axis. If it's already difficult for someone from Salvador, imagine for someone who is in a city in the interior, even further away,” he observes. He currently has an art studio in Cachoeira, which is still under construction, but it is already a significant space for him.
Regarding his creative process, Marcos highlights the experience of 2019, when he sold his works on the street. “The street has become a source of income for many people, such as street vendors. From this observation, I realized that, even in difficult situations, it is still possible to see happy people having fun and talking,” she explains. He is currently in an artistic residency “Listen to Paraguaçu”, which reflects on the preservation of the river and the surrounding communities. “I want to understand how the river and the street meet in these issues,” he says.
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The styrofoam boxes, for him, symbolize working on the streets. “I do a kind of archeology with these tools. They help people imagine what their lives are like,” she says. For him, the cell phone is his first capture tool. “I photograph and write the ideas that come from what I see on the streets. Then I set up a scene with three different times on the tablet,” she explains, stressing that often the lack of access to equipment can mean that the jobs don't exist or die just in the idea.
For the future, Marcos intends to take his work to the street, creating itineraries to make it more accessible. “I think of the street as an opportunity to appreciate artistic work and how it can touch the people who see it,” he concludes. He also shares valuable advice: “Create collectively, in groups. Think about building a network with close people who have the same objective, so that everyone can push themselves and develop together.”
Since 2019, he has been part of a group that started at the university and has developed several works with a community of artists who support each other. “The path is collective development. With it, we were able to go further.”
