Rui do Amaral

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Rui is one of the pioneers of graffiti in Brazil, a visual artist who now teaches at Senac Lapa Scipião and runs the website www.artbr.com.br. A multimedia visual artist and cultural activist, aged 48, born in São Paulo. His works include one of the largest murals in the city of São Paulo today. He works with animation, painting, web art and installations. He has exhibited at the Pinacoteca do Estado, MAC, MIS, Funarte, MASP and Paço das Artes. A graduate in fine arts from FAAP, he belonged to the period known as the 1980s Generation and is regarded as one of the leading exponents of Brazilian graffiti, which was then beginning to make its way into biennials, major museums and galleries. He founded one of the groups that most stirred up the São Paulo art scene, Tupinãodá, whose members were the first to paint graffiti in broad daylight. He was persecuted by the police, arrested several times and criminally prosecuted by the São Paulo city government. He currently devotes himself to Bicudo, the character he created in graffiti, which became the first vinyl "toy art" figure in Brazil. He runs a multimedia production company, Artbr, a pioneer in broadband content in the country, and coordinates art and education projects aimed at promoting citizenship in underprivileged communities. In Brazil, graffiti began in the Pinheiros neighborhood, in the west zone of São Paulo. At that time, abroad, galleries began opening their doors to new artists. Rui believes this gave rise to a young group in Brazil, which for him was a clique that shut out everyone else: "There was no room for me there, so I turned to this new art that nobody knew or understood." In Rui do Amaral's words: "I went to the street because it is more democratic and gives my work more visibility. One of graffiti's greatest contributions is making the city more beautiful; it is art for everyone. Art transforms life, and so does graffiti. It is more vibrant, it makes the city pulse. It is a very powerful tool, and few people realize how much power it has." Made official in São Paulo by Law 13,903/2004, Graffiti Day pays tribute to the artist Alex Vallauri, who died on March 27, 1987. Rui was honored for being one of the pioneers of an artistic activity that is now so widespread: graffiti. I BIAR - 1st International Street Art Biennial of São Paulo. The 1st International Street Art Biennial, to be held in São Paulo - a city regarded as an international reference in publications and exhibitions devoted to the subject - was conceived to promote a movement that grows every day: street art. Under the coordination of Rui do Amaral, a group of eight artists, pioneers of street art in Brazil, make up the curatorial team shaping I BIAR, scheduled for late 2010, which will present the diverse panorama of this form of expression in Brazil and around the world. A circuit of public interventions will be developed across the city, and the MAC (Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Ibirapuera) will host a series of indoor activities such as exhibitions, documentation, video screenings, debates and workshops. Urban environmental degradation is troubling; public policies such as Cidade Limpa [Clean City] play an important role in urban development, and the 1st International Street Art Biennial of São Paulo is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of environmental preservation in cities. The proposal seeks an understanding of street art as a worldwide phenomenon. The historical record of the interventions and the openness to dialogue and learning will bring artists, government and the public together in the same space, enabling reflection, learning and artistic appreciation, and allowing individuals to take part in shaping their own history in a conscious and reflective way.

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