Raphael Fonseca: Based on some of the questions I came up with, one thing that has been on my mind is what unites us?  None of us come from a family background of visual arts. I was born and raised in Taquara, Jacarepaguá, in Rio de Janeiro and I am the first person in my family to have gone to University.

Maxwell, I know that you attended PUC-Rio (Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro) and I know Randolpho went to UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais). There is something that I think is interesting in both of your works. Randolpho thinks about his relationship with Contagem, which is a town near Belo Horizonte, while Maxwell focuses more on his roots from the Rocinha. I am going to begin by first asking Randolpho how he manifests and transforms the theme of his birthplace, Contagem, in his practice.

Randolpho Lamonier: It’s hard to answer this question because the subject, themes and discussions that are present in my work are very fluid.

When I started attending UFMG, around 2012, is when I first began to look back and reflect on my childhood in Contagem. Because of the four-hour commute by bus, I had to move away and ended-up relocating to Belo Horizonte. However, only once moving to Belo Horizonte did I begin to notice details about suburban life. My colleagues changed, my social circle changed, and I began to get a glimpse of this world that I was stepping into, the art world. I started to think more about the meaning of authority. I felt very weird in the beginning, but ended up connecting with friends and colleagues who also identified with these “weird” feelings. For example, Dayane Tropicaos is one of those people. We lived in the same neighborhood and ended up meeting in college.

Only after having moved away from Contagem to pursue my studies in Belo Horizonte, did I begin to feel the need to go back to revisit my hometown, but this time from the point of view of a foreigner.

RF: Let me ask another question starting with Randolpho. Both of you deal with very fragile materials in different ways. Randolpho how do you deal with this aspect of fragility within your work?

RL: Before working as an artist, I was working in theater as an actor, and this is where I gained the majority of my experiences. No one in my family believed that this could be a profession. I initially started taking a theater workshop in Contagem and, once I moved to Belo Horizonte, I pursued my university studies as a theater major, until I ended up working in an office job. I was 18 years old when I joined this company, so the experience of working with my colleagues greatly impacted me. One person who influenced me the most was my aunt. She was a poet who worked a lot with her hands, and you can see her influence in my artwork.

I work a lot with the idea of excess and often collect a lot of the materials directly from the streets, as I cannot afford much. When it comes to working with textiles, it is very important for me to work with used materials.  In the past, there have been times where I wanted to work but had no money at all. Sometimes I had to use pieces of my clothes as material. Nowadays, this has become a part of my work.  I try to change the meaning of objects through my work.  For example, I have used kitchen supplies in different contexts.

My relationship with art is related to my experience in the theater industry. I work a lot with my body, as I move around a lot when I work; sitting still is hard for me. When there is an exhibition and there is a piece of art that comes out from the wall, or is hanging from the ceiling, I want the people to see it through my perspective.

RF: Randolpho, I want you to discuss where the theme of faith comes across in your artwork. Sometimes I look at your work with a message of hope, but at other times as if it is representing or portraying a cynical message’.

RL: Sometimes my work portrays the message of hope and, at other times, of despair.  To me, art is a significant part of my life, as I tend to view my artwork as a means of receiving answers about my life and the world around me.  When I look at myself, I see confusion, just as I do when I look around me.

I consider myself to be a very hopeful person in the sense that something positive can always happen. I project my hopes and faith in my work.

RF: How do you feel being an artist in Brazil during this scary political era?

RL: I now feel very challenged as an artist. I ask myself, "what is my work and time asking of me as an artist?”.  In my opinion, it is very important to use your platform so that your work can have a voice of its own. I feel very anguished with the current situation here in Brazil, and this moment of crisis we are experiencing only makes me want to push forward to reach my goals.