Marks

ART AND EMOTION. Get to know the trajectory of the artist Marks, and his dream of making a living from art.

Ronaldo de Almeida was born in the late 70s, on the outskirts of Santo André, São Paulo. He saw the transformations in the surrounding urban scenery, where the soccer field itself was taken over by shacks, where a new community with brick houses emerged. He was able to witness the end of the military dictatorship in 1985, and see speeches by the presidents who followed, including Collor, elected in 1990, who called himself the hunter of Maharajas, but who confiscated the savings of Brazilians, causing despair and revolt at the time. But he paid his price by being impeached.

He was also an eyewitness to the hyperinflation and economic crisis of the time.

Ronaldo always had a life full of difficulties, living in a humble house with his mother and older brother. It had little structure. But he tried to have fun in some way, at parties, or listening to music at home on vinyl records and k7 tapes. He started working at the age of 14 with gate manufacturing, and then in a paint store. But by the weekend I was already going to the ballrooms. And he got to see his first live concert which was by the singer Jorge Ben Jor, at the age of 15, with his friend Júlio. And the following year they were able to fulfill their dream of seeing the Racionais mc's show, because they did a show in the village, at the samba school court in 1994. 

Colection PinacotecaMarks 1995.In the following years he had more contact with graffiti by watching magazines and created his character Marks by doodling in comic books, which eventually became his stage name and a trademark. He was able to see the first graffiti event at the Bruno Daniel stadium with paintings of the Twins, where he was struck by the colors and smoky effects of the spray.

After that, he took several drawing courses, but was still afraid to use paints , began painting only at the age of 18, where he painted his first oil canvas.

His biggest challenge was to be able to make drawings with spray, so he attended the Casa do Hip Hop de Diadema in 2001 doing workshops and learning spray painting techniques in practice.

It was also difficult to get material to paint because it was very expensive, so he made paintings on the facades of shops to earn some money, had difficulty settling into formal jobs. Although I had worked with telemarketing and other functions, I felt that I didn't fit into the traditional work system, perhaps because of this dream of being an artist.

After a few years, he studied at Cruzeiro do Sul University, and began to teach in public schools and NGOs. 

Colection Pinacoteca

He thought he had no vocation to be a teacher, And he continued to insist on his dream of working with art, painting and making exhibitions. He worked on some art projects, painting murals with the support of the city hall, and participated in several events.

Marks' art as a cultural legacy

Street painting was a way to develop his art or discover what his true path was, he chose to dedicate himself more to painting in the studio and reach his audience through the works of art, exhibiting in museums and galleries. Despite being a humble artist from the periphery, he understands that he can leave something of value for the future, for the next generations, that is, a legacy of value, which would be his art. For this reason, his works, little by little, are already part of the collections of some museums and Pinacotecas, and are also beginning to be exhibited in other countries. As an emerging artist, his works have great potential for appreciation in the future. 

The technique and its art style

He uses geometric shapes to express himself with his own poetics, with surreal and abstract images, distorting the urban scenery. He makes social criticisms and imprints feelings during the execution of the painting. It's like a mental game where you distribute the elements and work on mixed techniques, making textures. An exercise in working on creating new shapes.

He didn't have any reference as an artist in his family, so he would hardly have that vocation. But his older brother taught him to draw when he was only 5 years old, and from then on he didn't stop this process, until he started painting and decided to be an artist.

In his words: "I thank my brother , Régi, who collaborated, and gave this kick-off, because I didn't have any artists in the family where I could look up to myself. Nowadays I am fighting for a dream, and I dedicate it to my brother Reginaldo, who unfortunately passed away in 2022 due to depression and other health problems. I dedicate this fight and the results of the art to him, who encouraged me. May he be at peace." 

Exposição Sobreviventes na Pinacoteca de Mauá. Aconteceu do dia 09 de agosto ao dia 06 de setembro de 2023 a exposição "Sobreviventes" na Pinacoteca de Mauá Aconteceu do dia 09 de agosto ao dia 06 de setembro na Pinacoteca de Mauá, a exposição do artista Marks. Intitulada Sobreviventes, a mostra traz releituras de obras importantes do modernismo e ainda temas abstratos e figurativos, inspirados no expressionismo e street art. São 21 quadros, e ainda diversas gravuras e desenhos, mostrando a tragetória do artista, que fez sua primeira exposição idividual em 2010 no Museu de Santo André. 

Marks se formou em artes visuais, pela Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul em 2011. Ministrou cursos de desenho e pintura em escolas e Ongs, e já participou de diversos eventos e projetos de arte. 

Faz parte do acervo da Pinacoteca

Título: candangos. Técnica acrílica e spray sobre tela. Dimensões: 50 x 70cm. Ano 2022.

Inspirado na obra Os candangos de Di Cavalcanti. Feita em comemoração aos 100 anos da semana de arte moderna de 1922 

Faz parte do acervo da Pinacoteca

Título: A divisa. Técnica acrílica e spray sobre tela tipo painel. Dimensões: 50 x 70cm.

Ano 2022.Obra abstrata, mas que se baseia em vista aérea de mapas, como se fossem represas, rodovias e prédios.

O artista Marks define dessa forma:

"Reflete principalmente vivências da minha infância, onde me vi dividido com o divórcio de meus pais. Divisão também na questão do espaço geográfico, onde vivia entre Santo André onde nasci, e Mauá minha cidade atual. Traços inspirados nas pinturas de Burle Marx."  

Título: Alívio. Técnica: spray e acrílica sobre tela. Dimensões: 50 x 70cm. Ano 2020.

Abstrato, com técnica de acrílica fluida, e efeitos de textura visual com spray, transmitindo sentimentos e sensações através das cores, texturas e formas geométricas 

Jacqueline Roque de máscara. Releitura de Picasso.

Marks, ano 2022. Spray e acrílica sobre tela de 40 x 50 cm. 

Migrantes Nordestinos, spray e acrílica sobre tela de 60 x 100cm. Ano 2023 

Faz parte do acervo da Pinacoteca

A obra migrantes nordestinos faz referência a uma família que acaba de chegar em São Paulo vindo com o famoso "pau de arara" transporte bem precário da época, meio deslocados e cheios de sonhos e expectativas. Num cenário surreal que parece estar a ponto de desmoronar sobre suas cabeças. Uma representação lúdica do centro da cidade com o logotipo do Mappin trazendo uma memória afetiva. É uma homenagem a esses guerreiros nordestinos, que ajudaram a construir nossa cidade. Esta obra também faz parte do acervo da Pinacoteca de Mauá.