Nino [João Cosmo Felix]
1920, Juazeiro do Norte | CE - Brazil
2002, Juazeiro do Norte | CE – Brazil
He cut sugarcane and worked as a blacksmith before turning to carving wood. He began his art by making toys. He was illiterate, lived in Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, with his wife, Perpétua Cecília da Conceição, until his death. His work is found in major public and private collections in Brazil and abroad. In 1974 he made wooden animals amazingly painted brown with specks of black and white and the size never usually exceeded 70 cm. The tails, made from umburana or alumbark, were added to the carved creatures. In the 1980s, Nino gave a leap to larger sculptures, which might go beyond one meter high. In the single block of wood, Nino now skillfully included a new color invention. Birds, elephants, oxen, monkeys, rituals, such as weddings, and epiphany festivals are carved in relief at the top of the original block, which was painted in certain colors – pink, blue, red, green, yellow -, tempered and dosed by Nino, form an extraordinary gallery of single blocks from the backlands. Here, the force of the symbolic is equal to the skill of the eye and hand, masts from the dream where nature and culture combine in a unique meeting, on a level with the best contemporary creation of the 20th century. He has held an individual exhibition in Rio de Janeiro. His work was a highlight of the international exhibition Brésil, Arts Populaires (Grand Palais, Paris, 1987), and in the Rediscovery Exhinition (São Paulo Biennial Foundation, 2000). His works are found in the top Brazilian museums of popular art.
Source: Little Dictionary of the Brazilian People’s Art – 20th Century, by anthropologist and poet Lélia Coelho Frota
Individual Exhibitions:
2016 Nino, Galeria Estação, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2001 Nino, the essential in its raw state, Pinacoteca of the State of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Collective Exhibitions:
2021 They Were Already Here, Galeria Base, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2021 Bailão de dois: dialogue between artists, Galeria Estação, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2020 What Master is it?, Centro Sebrae de Referência do Artesanato Brasileiro (CRAB), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
2019 Exposiciòn Lina Bo Bardi Tupí or not tupí?, Fundación Juan March, Madrid, Spain
2016 Between looks: poetics of the Brazilian soul, Museu Afro Brasil, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2014 Almost figure, almost form, Galeria Estação, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2012 Stories of Seeing - Show and Tell, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, France
2012 Janete Costa “A Look”, Museums Janete Costa, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
2012 4 Spontaneous Artists, Afro Brasil Museum, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2011 Brazil in Popular Art - Casa do Pontal Museum collection, Brasília, DF, Brazil
2008-2009 The Imaginary of the Brazilian People Exhibition, Antiquarius Restaurant, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2007 The size of Brazil - Popular Art Exhibition, SESC Paulista, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2006-2007 Live Culture Live The Brazilian People, Afro Brazil Museum, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2006 SOMOS - the popular Brazilian creation, Santander Cultural Center, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
2006 Imaginary Brazil, Galeria Estação, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2004-2005 Form, Color and Expression: a collection of Brazilian art, Galeria Estação, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2004 Naifs from Brazil Biennial, SESC, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2002 Pop Brazil: popular and folk art in art, Banco do Brasil Cultural Center, CCBB, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2001 Popular Expression, Light Cultural Center, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
2000 Rediscovery Exhibition, Fundação Bienal, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
1998 “Jangrada”, Ceará Historical Museum, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
1995-1996 The heirs of the night: fragments of the black imaginary, Belo Horizonte Cultural Center, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
1994-1995 The heirs of the night: fragments of the black imaginary, Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
1994 The heirs of the night: fragments of the imaginary, Espaço Cultural SOS Sul, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
1992 Brazilian: Discovery and Self-Discovery, Kunsthaus Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
1992 Long live the Brazilian people | Crafts and folk art, Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Public Collections:
Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, France
Selected Publications:
2018 Brazilian Popular Art: contemporary views, Vilma Eid and Germana Monte-Mór, WMF Martins Fontes Publisher, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2016 NINO, Vilma Eid and André Parente, Lis Gráfica, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2014 Almost figure, almost form, Vilma Eid, Socorro de Andrade Lima and Lorenzo Mammì, Lis Gráfica, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2012 Histoires de Voir - show and tell, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Editoriale Bortolazzi-Stei, Paris, France
2012 Janete Costa “Um Olhar”, Mario Santos Lis Gráfica, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2007 The size of Brazil - Popular art show, SESC Paulista, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2006 Viva Cultura Viva do Povo Brasileiro, Afro Museum, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2004 Naifs from Brazil Biennial, SESC SP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2001 Nino | the essentials in a raw state, Emanoel Araujo, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2000 Redescovery Exhibition, organized by Nelson Aguiar, Fundação Bienal, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
1995 The heirs of the night, Belo Horizonte Cultural Center, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
1992 Viva o Povo Brasileiro Catalog | Crafts and folk art, Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
1980 O Reinado da lua- escultores populares do Nordeste, editora Salamandra, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
