10 Minutes with Brazil's Silvio Alvarez

I discovered Silvio Alvarez through the Ning network called Art-Walk. Art-Walk is one of many global communities of artists who share online their work and passion for art. The piece which the self-taught 43-year-old artist has displayed there is called Tree. What impressed me about it was it's scale.

Someone once observed that if a person is worth knowing, he's worth knowing well. I would say the same for their art. The longer you look, the more you see. Perhaps this is why Silvio Alvarez's work is getting noticed.

Ennyman: When did you first discover that you wanted to become serious about your
art? How did you become interested in collage?
Alvarez: In my childhood I always liked reading magazines, looking at sticker albums, printed images in general. However, in this period, and even during adolescence I never showed any inclination towards the arts. It was the necessity of showing my emotions in a difficult moment, around 1989, what led me to the discovery of collage.

I also realized I had easy access to the materials I needed, since they are all low cost.

Ennyman: Have some people taken your work less seriously because collage is something children do in school?
Alvarez: I believe that the art market doesn´t take a collage seriously. As a collage plastic artist, my main income still comes not from the sale of my works, but just the workshops that introduce art to children and also teaches them to recycle, recycle, recycle ...

I'm working towards the day my work is recognized as a serious art.

Ennyman: Where in Brazil were you born and what influence did your family have on
who you are?
Alvarez: I was born in the city of Sao Paulo, the largest Brazilian metropolis. I haven´t received direct artistic influence from my family. My father, Noely Alvarez, who died in 2005, was a poet and taught me the importance of culture and how good it is when we work at what we love.

Ennyman: Where do you obtain the pictures from which you make your collages?
Periodicals? The recycle center?
Alvarez: For my works I use old magazines donated by friends. I often say that the main raw material in my work, even more than paper, is patience.

I separate hundreds of magazine pages by category and cut out figure by figure as the need for a specific job.

In Brazil, there is little involvement with recycling, unfortunately. But this situation is changing thanks to the efforts of some people and institutions.

Ennyman: What is the medium or adhesive you use? What is the process?
Alvarez: I use glue stick to attach the images and then I apply white glue to protect the work. Also I apply varnish, finally.

Ennyman: You have gained quite a bit of publicity. Do you have an agent or
gallery that now represents you? How did that come about?
Alvarez: I´m the spreader of my work. Mainly through Twitter, recently. I have a marchande who works to market my work and make contact with companies.

I love art! I live my art by selling my works, working in the creation and executing artistic projects for companies that want to pass on their ideas of sustainability to their employees or clients, and make collage workshops.

Nowadays I have concentrated on improving my technique to achieve better results in smaller periods of time and higher perfection.

Ennyman: What are you working on for 2010?
Alvarez: In 2010, I will do an individual show with works produced especially for children with the theme environmental preservation / sustainability. Also I am participating in a group show on the indigenous people.

I want to travel through Brazil with this exhibition with parallel workshops and perhaps even visit other countries, if someone calls me.

If you wish to see more of Silvio Alvarez, here's a good starting point.