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Marcelo Brant says, “I make what the saints ask me to make”. And perhaps that’s why he doesn’t realize just how many banners he has made so far for the many religious and profane events of Minas Gerais. He was born in Diamantina in 1967. “I’ve been working with this art for 13 years. The first banners I ever made were for a folkloric procession in a small village. I think it’s something natural inside me. I was raised a catholic, in a baroque universe, always surrounded by this imagery. When I started making my banners I didn’t make any sketches. The images of saints repeat themselves, but the allegories don’t.” Marcelo creates with what is around him. Materials are transformed in his hands, from bits of paper to bottle caps or discarded CDs. “We dress the saint as he or she deserves. It is necessary to have a certain respect and love, it’s like a ritual.” His work has started to be recognized and he’s been offered new opportunities. Cultural and fashion events have started to ask for his banners, work that according to him “is made to be in the open, big, and not hidden in a corner; the festivals are always outdoors, the processions take over the streets”. Curious and dedicated, he manages to give a modern touch to every piece he makes. |
