Afros (2007) Peinture par Regis Silva

Regis Silva
1977 – Brazil
Painter, sculptor.


Regis Silva was born in 1977 in Paraiso, a town in Central Brazil. Prompted by a dream at the age of 15, he began frequenting Umbanda ceremonies, the imagery of which would later influence his multi-media works. Silva began painting quite spontaneously when, at sixteen, he wandered into an art supply store and purchased a blank canvas and acrylic paints. It was during a brief stint in Monterey, California that his first series of paintings emerged in the form of abstracted jellyfish and other sea creatures. Later, in his home studio in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, he would integrate found objects, printed matter, trash, and even the fabric scraps evoking memories of his mother's sewing, into his larger-than-life female figures that quite literally pop off the canvas. At once life-affirming, colorful, voluptuous, and dark and menacing, these portraits allude to the dichotomies that exist within each of us. Silva's latest series of orixá sculptures in his characteristic style of simple forms in bold colors reflects his recent research and writing on these Afro-Brazilian deities.

Silva and his work have been featured in such publications as Brazil Explore (Oct., 2004), Comunidade News (Nov, 2004), Brasil California Magazine (Nov, 2004), The Orange County Register (Aug, 2003) and in Brasil Best. His work has been shown at Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Orange County (2003), Blue Room Gallery in San Francisco's Mission District (2004), Pacific Grove Art Center in Pacific Grove, CA (2005) and Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA (2005).

Regis' self-portrait graces the July cover of Brasil Best which also includes a color spread of his mixed media pieces. A feature-length article entitled, “Mixing it Up” can be found in The Monterey County Herald's Go! Section (July 14-20, 2005).

Biography by Jamie Davidson
San Francisco, CA
Copyright, 2005

• Nationalité: BRÉSIL
• Date de naissance : date inconnue
• Domaines artistiques:
• Groupes: Artistes Contemporains Brésiliens