Marcelo Conceição. Untitled. 2023
Sculptural object — reused discarded materials
About the artist
Marcelo Conceição is a visual artist born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro.
The artist calls himself an “urban prospector” and is now recognised as one of the great revelations of Brazilian popular art. His work reflects a personal trajectory marked by creativity, resilience and social transformation. His story as an artist begins with a tragedy: in 2010 the Morro do Bumba landslide buried his home and took family and friends. After that event Marcelo lived on the streets, gathering objects discarded by residents and passers-by — crate wood, corks, thread — which in his hands became sculptural objects marked by a geometric, symmetrical aesthetic that reflects his search for balance and order amid urban chaos.
He works with few tools and favours red, black and white, a reference to the Salgueiro samba school, of which he is a fan. His work now deservedly belongs to the collections of several museums and private collections.