Ever Alive, 2025
Acrylic and spray paint on canvas
16" x 20"

"The art 'Ever alive' was born from my desire to revisit, through a contemporary lens, the traditional cultures of Brazil and the Cerrado biome, a vast, golden landscape that is often rendered invisible in global environmental discourse. While the Amazon occupies the spotlight on the international stage, the Cerrado remains in the shadows, despite being essential to the ecological balance of South America. Through a symbolic approach, I chose to place at the center of the composition a female figure representing the traditional peoples of Brazil, communities that live in deep connection with the land. She holds a flower popularly known as Ever alive, a native species of the Cerrado, recognized for maintaining its shape even after being picked. To me, this gesture symbolizes resistance: of nature, of the people who inhabit this territory, and of art itself, which endures through time and adversity. The warm color palette I use, inspired by the tones of the sunset, reflects my way of seeing the quiet beauty of the everyday, that which is present, yet often goes unnoticed. I aim to honor what is simple, ancestral, and resilient. “Ever alive” is for me, an affirmation of art as an act of resistance. In a world shaped by climate crises, cultural erasure, and uncertainty, this work invites the viewer to recognize the Cerrado as a place of life, memory, and continuity. The seed, present as a subtle symbol, represents what drives me: transformation and hope, the power to begin again, even in the face of aridity. Just like the flower that gives the piece its name, I believe that art, too, endures, steady, essential, alive."