Hello, Dinho Bento can you introduce yourself?
Hi! I am a Brazilian artist, born in a country town. Nature in general and the culture of different peoples are my primary sources of influence, where I mix it with my particular universe and give it back to the world in the form of art. I seek to know more and more new places, in and outside my country, to live the experience that each place can give me. In addition to street art, I also dedicate myself to studio work, such as paintings, drawings, and engravings.
Why did you choose street art to express yourself? And you remember what your first street art piece was?
Influenced by graffiti magazines in the 90s, I saw street art as the freest way to produce art because you present your work directly to the public in a space that can be accessible to anyone. The street is where you really assume what you do and learn to deal with any judgment.
My first street painting was at the skate park I had in town. As I grew up in historic cities, where heritage protection laws do not allow this type of intervention anywhere, at first, I had the need to carry out my work in abandoned places or away from the urban center.
In most of your work, you represent nature (animals, flowers…), why this choice?
Nature comforts me and helps me to take life more lightly. I often look for inspiration in the local nature, where I go to paint, motivated by my emotions in that place. Sometimes a simple leaf that falls from a tree or a species of animal from that place suggests many ideas to me. So I try to mix these inspirations with my style and elements of my culture or history and transform them into art.
After graduating in Fine Arts, I took an extension course in scientific illustration, where I delved into naturalistic drawing and painting techniques. This helped me a lot to have better results in representing any element of nature that can influence me.
What is the message you want to convey through your work?
I try to convey in an image the feelings I have towards things that touch me, whether material or not. I seek to take these influences to a surreal universe, something close to a cut-out of a dream.
A fruit that feeds me, a flower that makes me feel good through its scent, color, shapes, and textures. The species of animals show me another way of dealing with the world. Events that make me feel good or make me reflect… Anyway, I try to filter all these different emotions that I receive from the world and return them to the world through art.
Thanks to your work you had the chance to travel to several countries, so far what it’s your favorite one, and why?
Yes, thanks to my work, I had the opportunity to get to know different places, cultures, and people around the world. I can’t say which was my favorite place, as each one has a particularity that I wouldn’t find in another. All the places I went taught me to see the world differently and contributed to what I am today.
But if I had to choose just one, it would be my country of origin, Brazil. Because that’s where I started and where I try to take a little bit to all the places where I have the opportunity to do some work.
Can you tell us more about your work process?
In street art, I first like to visit where I am going to paint, feel the place and imagine what will look good there, what the place itself and even the architecture can suggest to me. Often the process starts at home, where I sketch what I’m going to paint on the street, then transfer the image of the proposal to my cell phone, where I guide myself during the painting. It is quite common to come up with other ideas during the painting, and I end up changing a little what I had planned, but I always think of doing something better than the initial proposal.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I believe that inspiration comes from everything that manifests my senses, especially at times when I’m away from the computer or cell phone screen. Being in places that make me feel good is always fruitful for coming up with new ideas.
In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of social media for Street Art artists?
Social media has helped artists a lot to spread their work and make contacts around the world. This interview is actually happening thanks to the invitation I received through a social network, but before that, you saw some of my work in person.
What I don’t think is cool is that many curators select artists by the number of followers they have and not by the work itself. They do this, in order for their project to have more visibility and likes through an artist who occupies a mainstream position on the networks. From this, many artists seek to do things that can generate likes to have more and more followers and thus be in the sights of these curators.
What are some of your upcoming projects?
I have just returned from Hungary, where I have lived for over four years. I am currently in Brazil working on some projects. Soon I will go to Canada, where I will live for a while, so I will also look for contacts and opportunities there. But at the same time, I’m open to any project opportunity around the world.
Last question: Do you have any film, series, or book recommendations?
Film: Embrace of the Serpent by Ciro Guerra.
Series: Breaking Bad.
Book: Animal Farm by George Orwell.
Thank you!
Don’t forget to follow Dinho Bento on Instagram, Facebbok, and his website.
You can discover or rediscover my other Street Art interviews here.
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