Ocean Freed

Artist — Diego Rezende (Style)

My name is Diego and I’m known as Style. I'm part of the A35 Crew. I've been with the group since 1999. What changed for me after getting involved in The Outlaw Ocean Project is that, though I had already been invited to do a project related to marine animals and their possible extinction, now I had the opportunity to paint what is happening in the ocean.

There is a parade of activity that we don't see and sometimes the media doesn't show. With this project, I saw that there are so many other things going on behind the scenes. We don't see the reality of piracy or slavery. This project has shed light on these issues.

For me, what I tried to do is to create an awareness not only of the artist and the journalism, but also of the population in general who come into contact with the art. This way, you see the world that passes in front of the mural. When people see the mural, they want to know what it is about and they ask questions.

With art, we can express a range of ideas and emotions through a drawing. So, we can reach both an elderly person and a child, perhaps with the same drawing, both of whom have varied perceptions of painted scenes.

I believe that through different media, social media and other networks, we reach a wide audience. Maybe people who view the art have not had any contact with graffiti or with these maritime problems. Often, they’re motivated to explore where these events are occurring and what this project is about. The journalism and art illustrate a hidden world and a wide range of people begin talking about what they saw and learned. Without this kind of communication, the information may not be as widely dispersed.

Artist — Euler Alcântara (Lesma)

I think that art attracts a lot of attention from older people and children and thus arouses a certain curiosity about its origins.

Artist — Jéferson Vilela (Tadeo)

My name is Jéferson Vilela. I'm known in the hip hop scene as Tadeu. I am a graffiti artist from the city of Pouso Alegre Gerais. I represent MTR from Puerto Rico.

I’m trying to bring greater attention to the work being done to fight for justice. I didn't know that so many atrocities happened all the time. The ocean is much more than what we idealize. In reality, there’s much more happening than we had ever imagined like piracy and slavery. In 2022, it’s important to talk about slavery. We don’t pay as much attention to this issue as we should. It was really a shock to learn about it.

I also hope that this project reaches people. Adding more collaborators to this project just strengthens the cause. I studied the book to better understand the issues that I wanted to convey through my art. I tried to reach anyone passing by and a range of people were interested in the mural. I hope it impacted them.

The creative process was awesome. It was a time consuming medium because it is a relatively new topic for Minas. As I am always on land, in the interior of Minas, I have little contact with the ocean. But it was the scale of the raw information that touched people.

I believe the simplicity of the art and the colors hit home. We are used to painting on the street, so we've studied this a little bit. I'm a designer as well and the key there is always to get the consumer's attention. Here our consumer is the street.

So, we have to capture the attention of our audience using the simplest elements. From older people to younger people, I think art has this magic ability to embrace everyone. This project aims to reach audiences across the world, including those who enjoy street art. This kind of public art lends itself to connecting with people in the city of Estiva and with people from other places all over the planet.

Artist — Markus Pixel

After joining The Outlaw Ocean Project, I learned that I had no idea what was going on at sea. We would go to the coast just to have a good time and never imagined that several million kilometers away, many sad things were happening like slavery and the death of marine animals. I believe that with the publicity and the reach of this project, it will end up affecting many people. At the same time, the project will broaden people’s understanding of graffiti, the lawless ocean and the panel I made.

Producer — Luciano Prado

My name is Luciano Prado and for a few years, I have been collaborating with The Outlaw Ocean Music Project, where, together with Synesthesia Media, I released the five-song EP, “Dark Frame” in 2021.

In 2022, I started the mural painting project with the goal of expanding awareness about crimes committed in the oceans. I saw an opportunity to collaborate, linking a graffiti street culture event with The Outlaw Ocean Mural Project. It was then that the mural, “Oceano Liberto | Ocean Freed” was born, produced by artists from AREA 35 CREW during the Estiva Street Fest on the wall of the Cônego Francisco Stella State School, in the small, peaceful town of Estiva.

In my view, it is as if each song or mural in these projects becomes part of a movement to change the planet like drops of water that become a river. The force of the movement can no longer be ignored due to its wide impact and long reach among artists and admirers. It is, above all, a change of consciousness.

The book, Oceano Sem Lei by Ian Urbina, had a profound impact on me, as did every song produced for the music project. Now, through the graffiti writers' images, we have the opportunity to reach an audience that, perhaps, would not have otherwise had access to this urgent topic.

It is an immeasurable honor to participate in The Outlaw Ocean Mural Project, which is focusing on our relationship with all that happens in the seas. We see the desperate need for change and the author of The Outlaw Ocean, Urbina, shows us that change is possible.