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| "Felipe's Story" painted on the outside wall of the arts center BloomBars in DC. It is a portrait of a boy who lives in the City of God; he is a member of the family I always stay with. |
Since 2005 I have been going to Brazil to create public art, work with youth, teach Art and English, study Brazilian Portuguese, soak up the culture and spend time with amazing people. My time has been divided between 2 cities: Salvador da Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. When in Salvador, I always stay with a family and spiritual community of Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion. This experience has been a big influence on my imagery and artistic style. When in Rio, I stay with a family in the City of God (Cidade de Deus), a poor community known as a favela, which was made famous by the 2002 film of the same name. I worked in the community as a teacher and led community art projects in 2009, 2010, and will be back this year as well. For these projects I have worked in collaboration with the non-profit organization CUFA (Central Unica Das Favelas), a local Anglican church congregation, and the youth organization ASVI. I also visited Brasilia and its poor suburbs last year as a visiting artist. For this trip, organized by the organization Partners of the Americas, I made presentations to schools and community centers, led mural projects and workshops with local youth, had an exhibition of my work, and collaborated with local graffiti artists. I have also painted several Brazilian-themed murals in the US.
Joel Bergner: 2010 Visiting Artist in Brasilia, DF
In 2010 I was invited to the capital of Brazil, Brasilia, by the organization Partners of the Americas. I held an exhibition of photography of my murals, made presentations of my work at schools and community centers, led mural projects with local youth and collaborated with local graffiti artists. All the details are on the project blog:
http://brasiliavisitingartist.blogspot.com/
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"A Sereia" painted in Celândia, DF
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"Sob o Sol dos Orixás:" The Afro-Brazilian Series
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| "Oxum," painted in Salvador, Bahia at the Terreiro de Caboclo Sultão das Matas |
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In 2005 I went to Salvador da Bahia, Brazil for the first of many times. I taught English and art workshops, studied Portuguese, painted, and met many amazing friends who opened me up to a new world. This region is known for its strong Afro-Brazilian culture, and during my time there I lived and taught classes in a community of Candomblé, a religion based on the spirituality of the Yoruba people of West Africa that survived the slave trade and has thrived in modern-day Brazil. I made close, lasting friendships and was inspired by the beautiful ceremonies and ancient rituals, which are practiced by people who are perfectly comfortable with the modern world of internet and cell phones. While there, I painted a series of 5 deities, called orixás, for the community.
After returning to the US, I painted a large mural celebrating Bahian culture and spirituality in San Francisco, “Sob o Sol dos Orixás (Under the Sun of the Orishas)” located on 24th Street and Capp. I also painted a Bahian piece for the Brazilian restaurant Brazil Café in Berkeley, called “Um Olhar nas Ruas da Bahia (A Glance on the Streets of Bahia).” details:
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| "Sob o Sol dos Orixás" located in San Francisco (Mission District) |
This is the neighborhood where I stayed in Salvador.
Yemanjá, orixá of the sea
detail highlighting the use of real shells in the artwork.
Xangó, orixá of storms, thunder and lightning, and justice. |
detail
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| "Um Olhar nas Ruas da Bahia" located in Berkeley, CA in Brazil Café |
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| "Oxossi" Salvador, Bahia, Brazil: Terreiro Caboclo Sultão das Matas |
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| "Iansã" Salvador, Bahia, Brazil: Terreiro Caboclo Sultão das Matas |
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"Caboclo" Salvador, Bahia, Brazil: Terreiro Caboclo Sultão das Matas
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"3 Gerações" (3 Generations), painted in 2009 the City of God, shows three generations of men, all looking toward the next for guidance, love, and support. |
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