Many artists in our country need to have two, three, four, five professions to earn a living, and this shows what a huge challenge it is to make a living in Brazil. It was no different with me. I worked as a military firefighter for almost a decade, during which time I combined my regular job with painting, my true passion. With a lot of effort, I managed to overcome the obstacles and today I am one of the guests at the Venice Art Biennale, an exhibition of great international prestige, where I exhibit a series of portraits. But the beginning was not simple.
I was born in Brasília, but I prefer to say that I am an artist from Goiás. I moved to the capital of Goiás with my family when I was still a child, when my mother, a civil servant, passed a competition in the city. And it was in Goiânia that I became an artist. I loved comic books and copied cartoons from The Knights of the Zodiac using carbon paper, and then coloring them with colored pencils. Since the comics were in black and white, the choice of colors was completely in my hands, a game that I loved. Later, as a teenager, I started studying painting. At the invitation of a friend’s mother, at the age of 14, I entered the School of Visual Arts of Goiás, a public training institute that operated together with the Museum of Contemporary Art in the capital. There, in addition to delving deeper into painting, I came into contact with photography and performance, techniques that really messed with my head. Going to that space was what sparked my idea of making a living from my creativity.
The next step to make this dream come true was to study visual arts at the Federal University of Goiás. I sold my works at low prices to anyone who was interested, so I could buy more material and continue producing. To cover expenses and continue studying, I took a public exam, and that’s how I became a firefighter. In addition to a second job, the barracks was like a second school for me. I attended college in the morning and, for the rest of the day, I dedicated myself to rescuing victims of accidents and fires. I learned a lot about caring for people during the time I spent in hospitals, and to this day the experience is reflected in my art. I deal a lot with the issue of caution and respect for others when I’m painting. I always think about how these characters would like to be represented, what clothes they would like to wear and in what social context they are inserted. In my canvases, I seek to highlight black people, who are the majority in Brazil, but hardly appear in museums.
In 2016, while I was still balancing my profession as an artist with that of a firefighter, I was invited to exhibit at the São Paulo Art Biennial. At that moment, a voice echoed in my head: “What more do you need to believe that art is your path?” The country was in a political crisis, and I knew that the challenge of making a living from art was a constant. So, I took a chance. It was a great gesture of courage to leave the Fire Department and embrace another career once and for all. I clung to the thought that if I dedicated all my energy to it, doors would open. And luckily, they really opened up. The sale of my works at the Biennale was a success, and since then I can say that, yes, I make a living from art.
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To get to where I am, I was helped a lot. One person who welcomed me was Rosana Paulino, my art godmother. She always said: “When you have the means, you will pass this story on.” And that’s what I try to do. I founded Sertão Negro, an art studio and school in Goiânia, with the aim of supporting new talents. Being an artist goes beyond painting: you have to leave contributions for the world.
Dalton Paula in a statement given to Mariana Carneiro
Published in VEJA on April 26, 2024, issue no. 2890
