Symbol of São Paulo culture, artist Eduardo Kobra signs Casa SP facade at SXSW
InvestSPCasa SP, an unprecedented space for the Government of the State of São Paulo at South by Southwest (SXSW), the largest innovation event in the world, will have its facade designed by the artist and muralist Eduardo Kobra. From the outskirts of São Paulo to the world, Kobra has become one of the most recognized muralists today, with works on five continents. The partnership with the artist is therefore in line with one of the festival's management's main goals: promoting São Paulo as the main hub for innovation and creative economy in Latin America, in addition to attracting foreign investment.
Casa SP occupies a privileged space at SXSW, in front of the main hangar, with approximately 1 thousand m² and capacity to receive at least 5 thousand people, in addition to the more than 300 thousand people participating in the event. The organization is carried out by the Secretariat of Culture, Economy and Creative Industry and by InvestSP, an investment promotion agency linked to the Secretariat of Economic Development, in partnership with Gerando Falcões.
To develop the art, Kobra explains that he used the same technique developed by precursor artists and painters. “For the image, I meticulously selected the models, which represent, in general, the plurality of the Brazilian nation. The people represented there are real, from various Brazilian states and cities, and also from indigenous peoples. From there, I produced the sketch of the work. The final result, which is being reproduced on the side of a building in Texas, shows how diverse we are”, he comments.
About the artist
His first mural outside Brazil was in Lyon, France, in 2011. At the time, he was invited to illustrate a wall in a neighborhood that was undergoing a revitalization process to help enhance the region's historical value. Since then, his works have reached countries such as Spain, Italy, Norway, England, Malawi, India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, as well as several North American cities.
Kobra holds the record for the largest graffiti mural in the world, a mark achieved in 2017, with a work in honor of chocolate that occupies a 5,742 square meter wall on the banks of Rodovia Castello Branco, in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo.