Tigre Noir (2021) Sculpture by Mozart Guerra

Mozart Guerra, born in 1962 in Recife, Brazil, studied architecture at the Federal University of Pernambuco, where he graduated in 1986. Utilizing his expertise in space and volume, he began his career in the late 1980s by creating numerous sets for theater, carnival, television, and cinema. Concurrently, he pursued his passion for sculpture, drawing inspiration from the techniques and materials used in set design, such as polystyrene, resin, and expanded foam, materials that he would continue to use throughout his career.

In 1992, Guerra moved to Paris and dedicated himself entirely to sculpture. Initially inspired by the works of Colombian artist Fernando Botero and French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle, he created resin sculptures of buxom women, burlesque characters, and strange animals in vibrant colors. These whimsical and extravagant pieces earned him both artistic and commercial success.

In the early 2000s, Guerra's artistic approach began to evolve. While he maintained his use of bright colors, his forms became less burlesque, and he developed a new technique. He began dressing his sculptures with tightly glued colored threads, giving them a unique texture. His themes also shifted to include realistic depictions of animal heads, Indians, primates, geishas, portraits, and still lifes. These sculptures, initially crafted in polystyrene or expanded foam, were covered with a "second skin" of cords, meticulously wound and fixed with pins. This technique highlighted certain shapes while blurring others, presenting his subjects as though they were part of a naturalist's cabinet of curiosities.

Guerra's work has been exhibited in galleries and contemporary art fairs across the globe, including in France, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, the Benelux countries, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, and the USA. His unique style and innovative techniques have established him as a prominent figure in contemporary sculpture.

• Nationality: BRAZIL
• Date of birth : 1962
• Artistic domains: Works by professional artists, Represented by a Gallery,
• Groups: Professional Artist Contemporary Brazilian Artists Artists presented by a gallery