Maxwell Alexandre. Pardo é papel

Drawing from his life in the Rocinha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Maxwell Alexandre creates a narrative, complex and engaging work in a divided Brazil.

Maxwell Alexandre captures the energy of the city inspired by wall painting, rap music and his practice of roller-skating which deeply impacted his perception of urban space. His works talk about society and raise many social, cultural and political issues. On various media, like brown paper, doors or iron window frames, he draws daily life situations in which anonymous groups of barely sketched people walk in the streets and alleys of Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro’s biggest favela.

The title of the work Pardo é Papel is a reference, through the use of the Portuguese word pardo, to the dark skin tones largely associated with slavery and colonialism. The word is here reinforced by the Kraft paper (“Papel”) Maxwell Alexandre uses to give a voice to the afro-descendants of these communities.