children

Utopia

This work is called ”Together we can reach the stars”.
It is about the wishful thinking of a society where people, helping each other, could reach higher goals for humanity. It is about, hand by hand, making something better which everyone could benefit from. Not a polarized world of opposites, but a world where everyone counts and matters, above profit and interests.

The world is killing itself based on division. There is not them and us, its all we. Greed, territorialism and insanity is rulling and everyone is loosing. There are wars everywhere, at this very moment, but some wars attain out mercy, while others are completely ignored. Why? Is it because one could kill you and the other presents no risk to you? If that is the case, I bring sad news: you are already dead inside.

The world, from this naive artist’s perspective, looks like this: The planet is a big beautiful school and some kids are not allowed to learn, play and eat there. Other kids are grounded during recession but they didn’t do any wrong. Some kids are overfed, overdressed, over indulged and even given free grades and stars, while others are starving, cold, being bullied and punished without any reason. Some kids are better than others because of their surnames, skin color, the amount of money their parents hold in their bank accounts. Would you like your kid to attend that school? Would he be bullying or bullied?

Stop insanity.

Stop allowing the bullies to decide who thrives and who perishes.

If you can’t see the whole picture, or if you cant see both sides, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Together we can reach the stars, but against each other we are doomed, collectively, to fail.

Luciana Mariano, March 2022.

Life happens
Busy years II

When did you last feel overwhelmed? Exhausted? Pretending to be ok? Incapable? Anxious…
Corona times brought new worries and challenges, but also amplified old skeletons from everyone’s closets. Society is always kept in high demands and fears, because that way we are also kept obedient and controllable. The ever growing need of things is an illusion and we feel like we have to be, perform and deliver appearances and behaviours that are as unnatural to us as being super heroes or machines.
We are demanded and we demand. We are our own self inflicted tyrants and victims. We accept the roles that were imposed to us, rather than deliberately choosing them. We teach our children the loneliness we feel because we care too much about pleasing everyone else, meeting deadlines, complying to “normal”.
We get entangled and trapped into our on creations, instead of flowing through it.
We stop creating and thriving and start struggling and surviving.
May the end of the year be the end of everything for a while. May the illusion of time play on our behalf and allow us to rest and dream again. May we find and do things that bring us joy and allows us to feel whole. Let 2021 die in peace so we can embrace the new set of 325 new days to be kinder to our selves, others, the planet, life.
There is undoubtledly beauty in chaos, but we must find our peace in it, despite it.
As Frida Kahlo said: “Donde no puedas amar, no te demores.”

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Quando você se sentiu oprimido pela última vez? Exausto? Fingindo estar bem? Incapaz? Ansioso…
Os tempos de Corona trouxeram novas preocupações e desafios, mas também ampliaram os esqueletos antigos dos armários de todos. A sociedade é sempre mantida em altas demandas e medos, porque dessa forma também somos mantidos obedientes e controláveis. A necessidade cada vez maior de coisas é uma ilusão e sentimos que devemos ser, representar e entregar aparências e comportamentos que são tão antinaturais para nós quanto sermos super-heróis ou máquinas.
Somos exigidos e exigimos. NĂłs somos tiranos e vĂ­timas auto-inflictos. Aceitamos os papĂ©is que nos foram impostos, ao invĂ©s de escolhĂŞ-los. Ensinamos nossos filhos a solidĂŁo que sentimos porque nos preocupamos demais em agradar a todos, cumprir prazos, sermos “o normal”.
Ficamos emaranhados e aprisionados em nossas próprias criações, em vez de fluir através delas.
Paramos de criar e prosperar e começamos a lutar e sobreviver.
Que o fim do ano seja o fim de tudo por um tempo. Que a ilusão do tempo aja por nós e nos permita-nos descansar e sonhar novamente. Que possamos encontrar e fazer coisas que nos tragam alegria e nos permitam sentirmos-nos inteiros. Que 2021 morra em paz para que possamos abraçar os novos 325 dias e sermos mais bondosos conosco mesmos, com os outros, com o planeta, com a vida.
Sem dúvida, há beleza no caos, mas devemos encontrar nossa paz nele, apesar dele.
Como disse Frida Kahlo: “Donde no puedas amar, no te demores.”

Empodere suas meninas – Empower your girls


Sem justiça social

A violĂŞncia cresce

A fome cresce

O abismo cresce

Sem educação

A violĂŞncia cresce

A ignorância cresce

O abismo cresce

Alimente seu corpo com o que é bom e saudável.

Mas alimente seu intelecto com o que Ă© rico e digno.

Empatia alimenta a alma e o prĂłximo, promova-a.

Educação e leitura empodera seus filhos. 

Empodere as mulheres, elas podem salvar o mundo.

A arte empodera a alma.
…

Withou social justice

Violence grows

Hunger grows

The abiss grows.
Without education

Violence grows

Ignorance grows

The abiss grows.
Feed your body with good and healthy food

But also feed your intellect with what is rich and dignifying

Empathy feeds your soul and of your fellow men, spread it.

Education and reading empower your children.

Empower women, they can save the world.
Art empowers your soul.

Do que Ă© feita a arte? What is art made of?

I just spent a week in an Artistic Residency that changed my life. A week that clearly gave me and taught me much more than I could ever give and teach. Projeto Ă‚ncora was born of a dream of very loving, altruistic people and became a reality and a life changing mechanism for many, now me included.

It started up as an after-school activity place for underpriviledged kids, then a circus school and finally an innovative, inspiring, amazing learning hub (school becomes an obsolete term for what they do and stand for), where kids learn whatever they have officially to learn and much, much more than that. Kids become the best version of themselves in there. They learn how to love, respect, listen, share, see…

For a whole week I sat there, under the circus tent and I painted. I had hundreds of curious eyes on me. I was surrounded and encountered many partners, story tellers, advisors, critics, helpers. I answered questions I had never thought about, I heard comments and compliments I would never thought were possible or even existed. Me and my painting were, daily, kissed, hugged and held lovingly by kids from 2 to 80 years old. And it felt good. In fact, I truely believe I was never loved this much. 

In return I also loved. I listened, observed, accepted, laughed, cried, talked, learned, painted. 

Art is made of many things. It’s an individual process inserted in a very collective one. I learned many things this week, but the greatest lesson for me was understanding that love is the essencial raw material to compose any and everything good and beautiful that urges to exist. Life needs love and Art is definetely made of it.

I deeply thank every and each child, teacher, friend and person I met at Projeto Ancora this week. You all make the world a better place to live in. Humanity stands a chance because of people and places like this.

Visit their website: http://projetoancora.org.br/index.php?lang=eng

❤️

Eu acabei de voltar de uma semana em uma residência artística que mudou minha vida. Uma semana que me deu e me ensinou muito mais do que eu claramente poderia dar e ensinar. Projeto Âncora nasceu de um sonho de pessoas muito amorosas e altruístas e tornou-se uma realidade e um mecanismo de mudança de vida para muitos, agora eu the também incluída.

Começou como um lugar de atividades pĂłs escola, para as crianças desfavorecidas, em seguida, uma escola de circo e, finalmente, um inovador, inspirador e incrĂ­vel centro de aprendizado (“escola” torna-se um termo obsoleto diante do que eles fazem e representam), lá as crianças aprendem o que eles tĂŞm oficialmente que aprender e muito, muuuuuito mais do que isso. Lá dentro as crianças tornam a melhor versĂŁo de si mesmas. Eles aprendem a amar, respeitar, ouvir, compartilhar, a enxergar …

Durante uma semana inteira me sentei lá, sob a tenda de circo e pintei. Eu tinha centenas de olhos curiosos sobre mim. Eu estava cercada e assessorada por muitos parceiros, contadores de histórias, conselheiros, críticos, ajudantes. Eu respondi perguntas às quais eu nunca havia imaginado, ouvi comentários e elogios que eu nunca pensei que fossem possíveis ou sequer que existissem. Eu e minha pintura eram, diariamente, beijadas, abraçadas e carinhosamente acolhidas por centenas de crianças de 2 a 80 anos. Foi muito bom. Na verdade, eu acho que nunca havia sido tão amada.

Em troca, eu também amei. Eu escutei, observei, aceitei, ri, chorei, falei, aprendi, pintei.

Arte é feita de muitas coisas. É um processo individual inserido em um outro processo, muito colectivo. Eu aprendi muitas coisas esta semana, mas a maior lição para mim foi compreender que o amor é matéria-prima essencial para compor tudo e qualquer coisa que seja realmente boa e bela e que precise existir. A vida precisa de amor e arte é definitivamente feita da mesma coisa.

Eu agradeço profundamente a cada criança, professor, amigo e pessoa que conheci no Projeto Âncora nesta semana. Vocês todos fazem do mundo um lugar melhor para se viver. A humanidade tem uma chance, graças a causas, pessoas e lugares como este.

❤️
Saiba mais sobre o Projeto Ă‚ncora: http://projetoancora.org.br

Fotos: Mara Nogueira

   
 

   
   

Somos todos crianças

Deep inside we are all children. No matter how long time passes us by, we are, in the end, needy children, craving for love and attention.

Perhaps we should play more, laugh more, dance and sing more to compensate our pains. Maybe if we allowed ourselves to feel vulnerable and weak once in a while, maybe if we gave up controlling our time, our wishes, our dreams and thoughts all the time, we would finally be able to accept what we really are. And deep, deep inside: we are all fragile kids, too afraid to dare, too afraid to be free and happy as we were, all along, ment to be.

mĂŁe e filho

This is a sequence of 4 very, very tiny paintings… This is how moms and kids should live.

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MĂŁe

Renovadora
e reveladora do mundo
A humanidade se renova no teu ventre.
Cria teus filhos,
nĂŁo os entregues Ă  creche.
Creche Ă© fria, impessoal.
Nunca será um lar
para teu filho.
Ele, pequenino, precisa de ti.
Não o desligues da tua força maternal.

Que pretendes, mulher?
IndependĂŞncia, igualdade de condições…
Empregos fora do lar?
És superior àqueles
que procuras imitar.
Tens o dom divino
de ser mĂŁe
Em ti está presente a humanidade.

Mulher, nĂŁo te deixes castrar.
Serás um animal somente de prazer
e Ă s vezes nem mais isso.
FrĂ­gida, bloqueada, teu orgulho te faz calar.
Tumultuada, fingindo ser o que nĂŁo Ă©s.
Roendo o teu osso negro da amargura.

(Cora Coralina)

“Fly me to the moon…”

cervera1

this is the very beginning of my latest Family Portrait Painting

This will be a very special Family Portrait, because the family is also special and wanted something out of the ordinary.

Carla is a Philosopher, Henrique is a businessman, Marcella loves pink and purple and Leo loves Blue.

More will appear soon in the picture (they have cats, fish and a bird too) and they will all be flying around the moon, among the stars, surrounded by trees… Come back soon and check the making of! What about you, want your own customized Family Portrait? Write to me, let´s talk about your stories!

Rio 2016

Passe a bola - 40x30

Rio de Janeiro will host the Olympic Games in the year 2016. Great! But how can anyone wait that long for something to happen? It is SEVEN long years!!! Life can´t wait!  I know I can´t.  Let´s play and have fun right now!