February/March 2020 FORUM

February/March2020
CAMPINASCHAPTER
FindingthePerfectGiftforDepartingFriends
ByMalcolmMacdonald,VicePresident
Another year gone by and true to
form,theCampinasExpatsgathered
at the home of one of our number
tocelebrate.Thisyearwasratherpoignant,
as we are losing due to relocation two of
our dear friends; Mark Copman, AmSoc
boardmemberandgreatfriend,andhiswife
KarriareheadingbackhometoMinnesota.
Every year for the last 10 years our end of
yearpartyhasbeenheldatthissamehouse
— it is a beloved tradition.The news that
Mark and Karri were leaving turned this
party into a bon voyage party as well,
creatingthelast-minutetasktolocatethe
perfectpartinggift:onethatwouldremind
our friends of their time in Brazil and
Campinas.
On the morning of the party, still no gift
procured, my wife and I suddenly
rememberedthatoneofourfavoritelocal
artistsRogerioPedrohadpaintedamural
at Mark’s place of work in the staff dining
hall. Could we get a work of art from
Rogeriointimefortheparty?Whatanidea!
Light,easytotransport,aworkofartbya
CampinasartistwithBrazilianflair.
Rogerio Pedro is from Campinas and his
main form of expression is on canvas and
through murals. His first contact with art
wasinthe1990sinSãoPaulo,thecradleof
Brazilian urban art, also known today as
street art. He explored several various
artisticveinsuntil2012,whenhebeganto
take on various major projects for murals,
an artistic expression for which he has
gainedinternationalacclaim.
Rogerio’s murals emerged as a way for
companies and individuals to tell stories,
everyday situations, or their own
experiences through the artist’s work. His
street-honedgraffititechniqueseemedthe
bestwaytomanifesthisessentiallyvibrant
and cheerful art. Spray paint and many
colors reveal his great focus: joy,
entertainment, and the desire to make
peoplehappy.
Those of us who walk the streets of
Campinashavecertainlycomeacrosssome
of his work: the design that adorns the
facade of the Ipanema Optics store in the
Cambuí neighborhood, or art that graces
the Antiquario Casa Azul in the Bosque
neighborhood.
As well as creating murals, he also paints
oncanvas.HisarthasbeenexhibitedinSão
Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Bahia,
and Miami, with works published in New
York, France, and Spain, and in the
influential book “The Artbook Brazil”.
Rogeriohaspaintingsinprivatecollections
in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre,
Miami, Fort Lauderdale, NewYork, Vienna,
and Buenos Aires — shortly to include
Minnesotaaswell.
His work is full of colors and Brazilian
characteristics that he developed through
much study and immersion into Brazilian
art. Among his main influences, Rogerio
alwayscitestheSantaCatarinaartistJuarez
Machado,77,livinginParissince1986.
What better way to celebrate happy years
inCampinasandcreatealife-longkeepsake
fromfriendsmadeinCampinasthanartby
thismost-Brazilianofartists.Wewereproud
to be able to procure two works from
RogeriowhichmadeafittingChristmasand
parting gift for our most special of friends.
Mark and Karri: happy travels, and always
rememberyourCampinashome.§
FormoreinformationonRogerioPedro’swork,
visitwww.rogeriopedro.art.br.
8
TheAmericanSocietyofSãoPauloFORUMNewsletter