Empowered by meditation, mantras and femininity, a young Brazilian artist continues to practice his art in a way that speaks precisely to the brave new world in which we live.

Pedro Silva

At the tender age of 12, Pedro Silva opened his first studio in his parents’ home on a small island in the South of Brazil. The predominately matriarchal society he inhabited and venerated inspired his early work—large, decorative depictions of women in stately posture and dress. “I created ‘The Madames’ in honor of the feminine souls who touched my heart and confirmed my confidence both personally and artistically,” he shares. “I wanted to give all that love, beauty and pride back to them.” Paying homage to the prowess of feminine energy would become a consistent pulse of Silva’s work. As a young man, he was recruited by the shoe company Schutz to create inspirational content for the emerging brand. With this task at hand, Silva grew enchanted with the process of patternmaking and building, skills that would become indispensable to him as he matured as both an artist and a young man. Seeking a place that would befit his artistic endeavors, satiate his need for personal freedom and grant him the gift of cultural abundance, Silva found himself in New York City. The immigrant experience was not a steady road with all the telltale peaks and valleys. Silva began meditating and using the mantra “I love myself” to restore his spirit and to reestablish a sense or order within himself and the exterior world. The Counting and Spell Art series reflect this meditative state and offer a sense of protection against the uncertainty and loitering chaos that often exist outside of ourselves. Silva will be reworking an old series, one in which he collected all the plastic he consumed over a specific period of time. Through many intricate chemical and natural processes, he created from this discarded material objects that have the appearance of glowing, precious gemstones. Silva’s work speaks to our new mantra, which whispers, “Slow down, breathe, reconnect, rediscover what is beautiful.”

Pedro Silva, “Spell Art” (acrylic on canvas), 55 inches by 55 inches.