Carlos Borsa - “Art in search of meaning”, by Edmundo Cavalcanti

My first interview in quarantine is with the talented young artist from São Paulo Carlos Borsa, architect by academic training and that in 2015 decided to follow the profession of plastic artist.

This talent has just been recognized with the achievement of the Gold Medal with the work “Marat Velado” (Painting) no 1° National Visual Arts Exhibition in Quarantine, this idealized and organized by a group of artists from the city of São Carlos / SP and with the participation of 890 artists from all over Brazil and living abroad, it is worth mentioning that this award was granted by a jury composed of highly qualified and nationally and internationally recognized professionals.

Know now a little more about the artist.

1- Where did you born? And what is your academic training?

I am from São Paulo and my family is of Italian origin. Graduation em 2018 by the Fine Arts College of São Paulo, in the Architecture and Urbanism course.

2- How and when you give your first contact with the Arts?

Thanks to my father who was a painter in his spare time, I watched him paint on his days off during my childhood. This phase of my father's painter lasted only this time, later my father stopped painting and I decided to follow the profession of painter.

3- How did you find this gift?

I don't believe in Dom, I believe in effort and willpower in learning techniques. The artistic look comes with the effort and daily practice of the profession.

4- What are your main influences?

Italian painters, dutch painters, contemporary chinese artists, little of modernists… I try to mix influences from the Renaissance masters, Baroque with contemporary influences.

5- What materials do you use in your works?

They are diverse and the supports are varied, but oil paint is what I use the most.

6- What is your creative process itself? What inspires you?

My inspiration comes from the great philosophers of the past, I try to use the teachings of philosophers to build a visual language, that translates through my art a concept about the contemporary world in which we live.

7- When you started effectively to produce or create your works?

Professionally from 2015, but before that I always produced at the level of a student. I studied painting between 2006 and 2011, resuming studies in 2013 until I became a professional in 2015.

8- Art is an intellectual production exquisite, where emotions are embedded in the context of creation, but in art history, we see that many artists are derived from other, following technical and artistic movements through time, you own any model or influence of any artist? Who would be?

I really like the Caravaggio, Da Vinci, Michelangello, Rembrandt, Adriana Varejao, WEI WEI, Pollock, I don't have a specific artist who directly influences me, I believe in the sum of several influences in the construction of my artistic work.

9- What does art mean to you? If you were to summarize in a few words the meaning of Arts in your life…

It's a search for meaning.

10- What techniques do you use to express their ideas, feelings and perceptions about the world? (Whether it is through painting, sculpture, drawing, collage, photography… or uses several techniques in order to make a mix of different art forms).

I mostly use oil paint, in my opinion oil paint is a refined technique that brings very subtle results.

11- Every artist has his mentor, that person whom you mirrored that encouraged and inspired you to follow this career you, going ahead and taking your dreams the other expression levels, who this person is and how it introduced you in the art world?

I don't really feel like I have a master, in the arts there is a very big competition, knowledge is not widespread among artists and curators.

When certain arts professionals spread knowledge there is an objective behind, as for example, to promote itself on the artist's work. Some healers yield through their influence certain spaces of exhibition, such spaces thus become a bargaining chip, artists who want to reach such spheres must attend expensive workshops and mold themselves to the eyes of the professional who conducts such courses, and in some cases, the award is not always due to the merit of artistic quality, but thanks to the influence acquired. Of course there are always exceptions and this I value a lot.

However, much of my knowledge was acquired in a pragmatic way, most of the time I had to be self-taught to achieve certain knowledge. In this sense, Architecture helped me a lot, because the knowledge I have was a sum of several views, Architecture gave me an overview of Art.

[divider]

[divider]

12- You have another activity beyond art? You teaches classes, lectures etc.?

I've been practicing Kung Fu for over 10 years, and it helps me a lot to produce my painting. In addition, I work as an illustrator in the advertising field to support myself financially.

13- Its major national and international exhibitions and their awards? (Mention 5 most recent)

PRIZES

• 2020 - Gold medal – 1° Visual Arts Hall in Quarantine – On Line;
• 2019 - First Prize at the 6th Plastic Arts Salon in Mogi das Cruzes;
• 2017 - Public Choice in the Reflection Art Today Contest – for the work “Micro and Macro”.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

• 2019 - "From liquid to concrete", House of the Ball, Belo Horizonte – MG;
• 2019 - "#MITODACAVERNA" Collective Paradoxes, Zero gallery, São Paulo - SP;
• 2016 - OMA Gallery Collectors Club.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

• 2019 – 6º Mogi das Cruzes Art Salon, Mogi das Cruzes - SP;
• 2019 – ARTIVISM CHALLENGE EXHIBITION, DIETL international, New York, USA;
• 2019 - 26th Praia Grande Plastic Arts Salon, Praia Grande - SP;
• 2019 – 6ª Share, British Center, São Paulo - SP;
• 2019 – 15º SP-Arte 2019, at the stand of the Belas Artes University, São Paulo - SP;
• 2019 – (S)existence. Collective Exhibition. Zero gallery, São Paulo - SP;
• 2018 – 5ª Share, British Center, São Paulo - SP;
• 2017 – Work 13º SP-Arte 2017, at the stand of the Belas Artes University, São Paulo – SP;
• 2016 – Collective Exhibition “Photography-Painting and the Spirit of a Time”, Ribeirão Preto – SP;
• 2016 – Selection of works for the 44th Contemporary Art Salon in Santo André – SP “Louise Sacilotto ”;
• 2016 – Work 12º SP-Arte 2017, at the stand of the Belas Artes University, São Paulo – SP;
• 2015 – Selection of works for the 40th SARP – Ribeirão Preto Art Salon, no MARP – Ribeirao Preto Art Museum;
• 2015 – Selection of work for collective exhibition at the 43rd Contemporary Art Salon in Santo André “Luiz Sacilotto”.

14- Your plans for the future?

I was recently accepted to take a Master's in Arts at the American University in Florence, the SACI University. Unfortunately the scholarship I applied for was not accepted, I believe it must have been thanks to the Coronavirus. I'm restructuring myself, my desire is to become a university professor someday, but I don't know about my time, if this will be possible in my future life.

15- In your opinion what is the future of Brazilian art and its artists? (in the general context) and why so many artists are giving preference to show their work in international exhibitions despite high costs?

The Brazilian art market is well structured, but it is shaped mostly by a conceptual art language, of course there are exceptions, Figurative artists also have space to act. The truth is that there is a market for all artists, however, some artists with the conceptualist language may be more active in certain cultural spaces and museums.

I don't know if the future of Brazilian art will change this scenario, the artistic milieu despite being politically challenging is at the same time very conservative in relation to the plurality of artistic languages.

Exhibiting internationally in my opinion is not a matter of preference but of opportunity, there are many good collectors in Brazil, but selling the work and receiving it in dollars or euros is much better.

See some more works in the links.

Website: www.carlosborsa.com

Instagram: @carlosborsa

.

….

.