“Fogo na Aldeia” by Marcos Henrique Mello
Marcos Henrique Mello was born in São Carlos – SP - Brazil, He graduated in Physiotherapy and is a Self-taught Contemporary Plastic Artist. He exhibited in London (United Kingdom) at the Boomer Gallery, having his name published in the "Londrina Art Week" through the exhibition catalog He was the only selected Brazilian and submitted two oil paintings on titled “Amazônia em Chamas” and “Fogo na Aldeia”.
He has exhibited in Luxembourg (Luxembourg Art Prize) and has received invitations to exhibit in Samara, Russi, Corsica, France (Art Scene), and in Birmingham - England (curated by the Direct Art Action Gallery). UK).His work has been selected for an art fair at the “Carousel du Louvre” at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, which will take place in April 2023.His paintings are in oil on canvas, depicting Brazilian and world problems, as well as the beauties of Brazil and the arts in general. His training in physiotherapy helps in his paintings with studies and knowledge of human anatomy.
In his paintings he follows an impressionist, expressionist style, having Monet, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Di Cavalcanti as inspiration.
He has drawn attention in Brazil and around the world, due to his creativity and expressiveness in his paintings
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Artist Statement on the theme of Climate injustice -
With the climate change that we are currently witnessing, among various ethnic groups, indigenous peoples directly suffer from this effect. The constant deforestation and burning of forests, mainly in South America, causes the death of hundreds of animals, trees, and an entire biome responsible for the sustenance and survival of these peoples.
In Brazil, we also suffer from the poisoning of our rivers caused by illegal gold mining, where mercury is used for extraction. Mercury, in turn, contaminates the waters of rivers, fish, and directly from the Indians who feed on these fish.
There are reports of an increase in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a disease that causes degeneration of the motor nervous system, affecting limb movement, and can lead to death from respiratory failure. All of this is caused by mercury poisoning.
In this painting, I show a family of Indians from Brazil, where in the upper left corner there is an Oca (a kind of indigenous dwelling) that is being burned along with the forest. In the lower right corner, we see a child arriving by canoe to warn his parents in a terrified way. Indigenous communities are just one example of the direct devastation of forests, as it ends up affecting all of us inhabitants of the planet, due to floods, excessive droughts,and decreased air quality.