With a distinctive style, the meticulously selected colors and materials he employs, including various types of wood, establish a deep symbolic connection to the richness of Brazilian cultural, religious and popular history.
Raphael Sagarra is a Brazilian-born artist whose interest lies in addressing socio-cultural issues of contemporary Brazil, particularly miscegenation and borders. With a distinctive style, the meticulously selected colors and materials he employs, including various types of wood, establish a deep symbolic connection to the richness of Brazilian cultural, religious and popular history.
Through a reinterpretation of visual elements found in subcultures' popular imagery, Sagarra engages with marginality, illegality, and social values. His work is a deliberate act of re-signifying and assigning new value to elements often relegated to the margins, adding layers of significance.
The essence of Sagarra's works is harmonized by the dynamic play of color. At times vibrant and luminous, at others subdued and robust, these movements imbue his creations with a seductive ephemerality.
Sagarra commenced his practice as a street artist in his hometown, and since then he has been recognized in the contemporary graffiti scene. His international presence dates back to extensive travels, intervening walls and participating in exhibitions in cultural capitals such as London, Milan, Lisbon, Moscow, Beirut, New York and Valparaiso.