Congratulations to Fabio Borges for earning his place as a winner in the Monthly Art Award (October 2022)!

Who are you?

I'm a Brazilian guy that has called Australia home for almost 8 years already. Before art, I was working with Brand and Marketing for more than 15 years. I learned how to express myself like that under the influence of my partner. By watching and supporting his artistic journey I started to experiment with the medium and connect more openly with my emotions. Then, after participating in some group exhibitions and prizes and especially after selling most of my works I decided to focus my attention to this creative path and face it with purpose. Today, I'm a full time artist with a process connected to healing and spirituality.

What inspired you to utilize collage as a medium? 

Collage is totally boundless, free and sort of a rebel medium. You can juxtapose anything in a piece of paper and create something unique from that. Collage is also my contemplative practice. I can spend hours just meditating, cutting paper and contemplating the messages that come from the combination of elements.

How would you describe your work?

My work is a documentation of my healing journey and my spirituality. Every element you see there has an intention which came from deep contemplation. I usually spend some time meditating, doing some breath work or reading the tarot before I start creating my pieces. In the early stages, it was very intuitive, but now it has purpose. Every piece starts with a story, a person or an emotion that I want to communicate or honour. I also see myself drawn to several spiritual practices, so it is very possible that in the future I might expand what I do and organise experiences with collage to help other people to access their emotions and heal themselves too.

Can you discuss the inspiration and thought process behind "7 Years”?

This piece is a homage to my marriage, the most important relationship of my life. The eye represents the spiritual awakening that came from that journey but also the co-dependency and attachment between the two souls at that time. Behind all the romance and idealism there was a lot of control, fear and insecurities from both sides. But all those confusions were necessary to help both of us awake and grow as human beings.

Can you walk us through the technical steps of creating ‘7 Years?’

The first draft of "7 Years" was just a pattern juxtaposing all the seven flowers. Then, I've decided to sit a little bit more and meditate about it. When I was there, I kind of had an internal talk with my spiritual guides and gave them permission to use my hands and creativity to heal (I told you I like spiritual stuff :). When I came back to start gluing the pieces I changed the positions and something new was coming. When I saw that an eye was forming, I got the cutter and reinforced that on the board and applied the gold leaves on top of the marks. The result is this golden eye with seven queen of the night flowers.

What do you hope to communicate to an audience with your work?

I hope people can see that they can heal through art. That it's possible to dive into your emotions and to express whatever comes with kindness, fearlessness and beauty.

Have you experimented with other mediums?

Recently, I have been experienced with larger canvas. I'm fascinated by street art and I want to showcase my art in murals and mixed media (like fabric and paintings). I'm also applying my knowledge with marketing to experiment with some merch and stationery.

Can you talk about your biggest learning experience during the process of creating your work?

Definitely, it was the challenge of working with paper in larger wood panels. I thought I should use waterproof paper for that to increase durability but when I applied the glue and the varnishing on it the material reacted differently and created a lot of bubbles on the board. After trying different glues and re-applying the elements more than three times I realised that the best way would be to approach that project as a wallpaper. So, I've changed the whole process and studied what to use, when to use and how to apply (which is now completely different from the process I use for small canvas).

Can you discuss your biggest success since starting your artistic journey?

Definitely my biggest success was when I finished the concept for my first solo show. Fortunately, the Darlinghurst Road Gallery in Sydney saw it and offered to host the show. Now, I'm finishing the last pieces and getting ready to exhibit them during the World Pride 2023.

What projects are you working on currently? Can you discuss them?

I'm currently working on a solo show called Cura23. It all started in the middle of the pandemic, with a kind "no" coming from one of the most valuable souls in my life. While dealing with all the disappointments, I decided to dive deep into my subconscious and heal some traumas that were always haunting me. Then, life introduced me to people and practices that helped me accept my Karma and recast that into my Dharma: hypnosis, mushrooms, Ayahuasca, family constellations, breathwork, body talk, meditation, wild swim, tarot reading, shamanism, and spiritism, ... all combined with hours and hours of conversations with dear friends struggling with different sides of the same matters. I finally found my purpose in life: to help those struggling with abandonment, abuse & sex addiction using two simple things: the breath & a contemplative practice. #Cura23 is the documentation of my healing process... Every element represents a person, a situation, a memory or even a feeling. "Cura" means healing in Portuguese, my native language. By coincidence (or not) most of those experiences happened on the day 23...which in several cultures represents transformation, progress, and spiritual growth. This piece "7 years" was the first piece that I made for this exhibition.

What is your dream project or piece you hope to accomplish?

I dream of a fashion collection with a positive message signed by me and also of a healing protocol that includes arts as a vehicle to help people to cure themselves from past traumas.

Lastly, I like to ask everyone what advice they would give to their fellow artists, what is your advice?

If you're working with collage, think about the longevity of your artwork. What can you do to preserve that piece for the longer. And if you are now facing any kind of pain but are afraid of investigating the causes of it, just trust, let go, and be open. The answers will come.

To view more of Fabio Borges’ work

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