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José Roberto Silva Neves was born in Palmeira dos Índios (AL), in 1968. He was always very creative. After school he attended a course in interior design and opened a furniture factory specialized in metal work. He designed and made the furniture himself. “I noticed the factory generated a lot of scrap metal, and I got anxious. I had to do something with that metal.”
So Zé Roberto – as he is called by his family and friends – started getting the scrap pieces together and transforming them into a world of his own. “It’s as if each scrap told me what it wanted to be. And things started to appear. My creations are linked to my childhood, the place I was born, the folkloric festivals and the people that are part of our day-to-day life in the Northeast.”
Today, Zé Roberto has his own brand – Bonito de Sobra (Scrap Beauty). His major challenge is to go beyond the mass market and become a recognized artist. He has plenty of talent. Freedom of expression sometimes requires sacrifices that few people understand, but he is aware of that and is ready to rise to the challenge. |
