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For each piece by Hélio Leites there is a story. It’s impossible to walk by his stand at the craft art fair in Curitiba without noticing. A tiny box is full of stories.
José Hélio Silveira Leite (who says the “s” he added to his surname was the most expensive “s” in history, recommended by a numerologist) was born in Lapa (PR), in 1951, and is the happy example of an unsuccessful economist. “My life is happier now that I make my matchboxes, and that I look after the International Association of Buttons and Kinder Eggs Collectors.” Smart and witty, Hélio transforms everything he touches. Like the most pop of popular artists that perform on public squares, he reveals the secrets of his boxes and installations. Hélio has a collection of aprons and baseball caps that are part of the props for telling his stories to the public, especially to children. “I think we don’t choose what we do. Things choose us. People have a need to communicate, and we must take advantage of this and make things that the industry can’t. I make my non-utensils, and they are a part of me.” |
