É duro o caminho para as estrelas Ink on paper & Photoshop 29.7 x 42 cm 2023 . . . The title comes from the saying Ad Astra Per Aspera translated to Portuguese, and this piece is inspired in the famous painting The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck made in 1434.

I started this drawing around November 2022 and this was always meant to be my debut at SuperRare. At that time I only had the dream to be part of it.

In the image me and Astra appear holding hands. She is the one who has guided me in my childhood and the one I incorporate today in order to make art. I am wearing my working clothes as a kitchen porter, yellow gloves, apron and steel toe boots that have accompanied me since 2017. The pile of dishes don’t let me forget the consequence of our choices.

In the artwork I stand proud wearing the same clothing that was a reason for shame, disgust or a means to be looked at with disdain so many times. I often feel sorry for them for not being able to see the beyond. For not being able to see who I AM. For not knowing that there is always more than meets the eye. Specially when we meet one another in this world.

My beautiful Astra is a delight to the eyes.

She is all dressed in yellow symbolising the sun, optimism and joy. Around the artwork the original elements were changed in order to tell some of my story until arriving here, today, at SuperRare. And I knew we would be here.

This drawing is a celebration depicting part of my journey in the past years since I’ve joined NFTs, and I couldn’t start this story in no where else than my family’s kitchen in Taquara, Rio de Janeiro.

In the background we see the same tiles found in my mom’s kitchen. The fan in the ceiling is common in Rio and a necessity in order to bear the incredible heat. This fan used to be in my parent’s room.

Me and my sisters used to spend a lot of time in our parents room watching TV and jumping in their bed, specially when they were not home. This drawing also evokes many memories from my childhood in Brazil, and a time where I could only dream about the life I would live.

The center piece of the original painting was substituted by a Wheel of Fortune with 4 of the biggest NFT collection that are @cryptopunksnfts, @coolcats, @pepe__wtf and @BoredApeYC.

The Wheel of Fortune is the tenth card of the Major Arcana and signifies a change of fortune, unexpected events, and progress. It reminds us that everything happens in cycles, and change is a constant and inevitable part of life. When you are at the peak of your success, make sure you enjoy it, because what goes up must come down.

Um dia no topo e o outro no chão.

Edward, one of my loved teddy bears appears in all his esplendor right below the Wheel of Fortune. Astra and I almost seem to reach out to bless him, who appears holding a pencil and writing in the furniture again for our despair.

In the bed we see Marina resting peacefully and Croc is right below replacing the faithful dog seen in the original piece. I have some of those teddy bears for more than a decade and I take them everywhere I go. They are like my pacifiers, and I need them more than I can say.

The pair of iconic Havaianas replace the wooden shoes found in the original painting. The details in the headboard and the table below the window are inspired by a pattern found in my sculpture Roots of Brazil, which is to date, my masterpiece. A tiny wooden globe depicting the Americas - This is where I come from and where I will go back to.

Outside, we see an enticing blue sky and a gentle breeze that comes into the room. The prison bar reminds me that before the leisure, effort must come. Everything in life has a cost and we pay the price for our choices daily. Above, a small altar with candles, crystal and a quartinha to guard my ways.

We see a punching bag that demonstrate the struggle that was the past few years. And a gentle reminder to get things done.

The severed ear of van Gogh haunts me. The ups and downs of the life I have chosen to follow is at times unbearable. And how many times have I wished for… oh boy, I am a fucking coward!

The red ribbon tied to the bar above also doesn’t let me forget that I am strong and that I will never walk along.

I raise my hand to bless The Astra and I let her know we still have life left to live. And as I release my genesis here, I also reborn.

Me and Astra. Me as Astra.

Avante!