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Celestino Gama da Silva was born in Muritiba (BA) in 1961, and was brought up in Cachoeira. Following in the family’s footsteps, he signs his pieces as Louco Filho (Crazy Son), a name that is synonym with genius when it comes to sculpting in wood. He says he learned to sculpt when he was 7 years old, watching his father Boaventura da Silva Filho (Louco) at work. “I spent a year and six months in São Paulo (SP). My father arranged to sent me to work with a famous art collector , but when I got there things didn’t really work out, and I went to live with relatives. I became a ‘travelling sculptor’. I used to make all kinds of pieces, even elephants, to sell on the streets. When the police arrived I had to run away. It was very hard.” With the experience in the big city over, Celestino returned to Cachoeira, where he still lives and works. |
