The Hermit

         The Hermit has its source in my complex relationship with womanhood and female figures in my life - particularly my mother and grandmother. We lived in a room together in Rio de Janeiro for most of my early childhood, and within this period we shared a lot of intimate stories - and a very small space; hence the strong body presence in my works. Since childhood, I saw their character as ambiguous, within them I saw a facet of human potential: to be both victims and assailants of others and of themselves through their suffering.

       In my attempts to understand those who raised me; I understood that this duality is a trait common to all people, in different proportions. These figures intimidate me with a mysterious power that verges on hostility, but they also yearn for protection. In these paintings live enshrined my attempts to make amends with the past and with others, to understand and investigate - with fear and admiration - the capacity for paradox that lives inside those that I know and will know.

      The ontological nature of this research drives my visual interests to sources that are not necessarily personal, and the result is the exploration of the body and its inherent potential for story telling. I revisit this theme as often as the intensity of my memories strenghten and waver.