Meet the Artist- Mateus (Pt. 1)
Hello Mateus! - Welcome to the Flick Family. 💚
There are some wild and special species in your suits! Please tell us more about them!
- The suits are representing the Flora diversity, bringing açai and guaraná fruits, banana and monstera leaves, Orchidea and vitória-régia flowers. They are very common in our daily lives in the tropics and brought with the idea to keep the classic silhouette of the suits.
Your wild and beautiful deck reminds us all to protect and live in harmony with the natural environment. Growing up in such a biodiverse country have you always loved animals and plants? Did you drive your parents mad with different pets?!
- Totally, and living in the Brazilian countryside makes me have constant contact with nature, especially the animals. One time visiting a family ranch, I tried to bring a piglet home, but my hiding skills weren't quite ready for my Momma’s eyes.
From Flora & Fauna - which is your favourite suit and why?
- It's the Clubs, especially because of the açaí fruit. Beyond the high nutritional value and antioxidant properties, it is very used in the culinary and also used in cosmetics. Açai has great socio-cultural importance for the north of Brazil, which usually suffers from prejudice from the south and southwest, so it's paramount and could not be left out.
As a Brazilian, please tell us the BEST thing about Brazil.
- Definitely the plurality inside a continental country, it is always enriching to travel and get to know new cultures, people and how huge nature can be.
What is the most unusual creature you have spotted in your hometown of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil?
- Going wild into the Cerrado and seeing a maned wolf (Lobo-guará) passing by certainly was a lucky day.
With nearly 800 different animal species inhabiting Brazil, we bet it was difficult to choose the designs for your deck! How did you decide on the Flora and Fauna to include?
- Truly difficult. The chosen ones had the specific view of trying to highlight the most popular and representative in general, but also trying to reach the biggest number of biomes present in the country.
Do you have any animal phobias?
- Not yet. It's always challenging to see species I haven't encountered before, and I love doing a lot of research to know how to approach them safely.
Along with nature being your inspiration, is there a particular, or illustrator that you admire and are inspired by?
- The inspiration always comes from a lot of unexpected pieces, but it’s more common coming from admiring art handcrafts, or listening to music. To mention particular artists I would say Ziraldo. He’s a Brazilian artist, a national icon we could say.
When do you feel most creative?
- Definitely having the time to create without the pressure of being productive.
We love how your work brings such powerful messages to the world - what one message would you like your audience to remember most?
- To keep in mind the importance of preservation in our day-to-day life, always remember to go outside to check how amazing nature is and have fun with it. Also realizing that when we protect the whole flora and fauna, we also protect each other, not just in terms of preserving the species, but learning to treat others with respect and accepting all differences, it is enriching.
Thank you, Mateus! 💚 🇧🇷 Pt.2 coming soon….
