Beyond Walls: French artist Saype performs work in honor of Brumadinho – Cultura

Three and a half years ago, the collapse of the Vale mining dam killed 272 people in Brumadinho, in Greater BH, and many families experienced not only the extreme pain of the sudden loss, but the harsh uncertainty of what could have happened to their father, mother , the son, the brother. Soon, bodies began to be found after days, months, or years. Against this backdrop, French artist Guillaume Legros created a gigantic painting, using biodegradable paint, on the football field in the Crrego do Feijo neighborhood – used in 2019 for landing helicopters and storing victims’ bodies.

Now, interlaced arms painted by the plastic artist, who goes by the name Saype, form a human “chain” and seek to give new meaning to an environment that began to evoke, in the residents’ memories, the traumas of a tragedy that entered the country’s history. In addition to the symbolic, Saype promoted this Sunday (24/7) a collective hug with the community.

With the initiative, Brumadinho joined the list of 30 cities around the world chosen by the artist to leave his mark with the project “Beyond Walls” (Alm dos Muros), started in 2019 and to be completed in 2023. Copacabana Beach , in Rio, was the first place to receive the intervention in Brazil last Wednesday (20/7).

Another work, with the same theme, was carried out at the Heitor Carrilho Institute, which is part of the State Department of Penitentiary Administration, next to Morro do Zinco, in the Central Region of Rio. There, the artist also played ball with residents.

human connection

According to Saype, the aim of the project is to create a “symbol of greater human connection and to make the most important people in the world find a global solution to the problems that humanity has”.

“I’m here because in 2019 there was a disaster where 272 people died because a mine broke, and I think it’s very difficult for people to think about a future in this kind of situation. As an artist, you want to ‘raise the chorus’ to support their struggle. That’s the first reason.”

The artist recognizes the importance of the mines, but, on the other hand, emphasizes his concern for environmental issues. “We need synergy to offer workers a safe working environment and, at the same time, respect the environment and ecology”.

about the artist

Saype, contraction of say peace in English, is the artistic name of the 33-year-old Frenchman Guillaume Legros. Self-taught and dedicated to making giant outdoor paintings, the plastic artist had his name listed by the European Forbes as one of the most influential young people in the cultural area in the world, in 2019. That same year, he was the only French-Swiss artist to participate. commemorations of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Among the great places where Saype has already exhibited his works are the headquarters of the United Nations (UN), in New York; the Champ de Mars, one of the largest green areas in Paris; and the Venice Biennale.