Fabio Gomes, 30, is an Afro-Brazilian artist who has recently gained attention for his viral street art that depicts a Black woman with a pink Afro in Brazil. The image, which uses trees and real roses, circulated around every social media platform for its creativity, beauty and sophisticated art form.
“I am really happy and surprised about the positive reactions to my artwork. This inspires me to keep doing what I love to do and making a living off it,” Gomes told Travel Noire.
In fact, viral street art has helped put the tiny city of Trindade, located in Brazil’s Midwest state of Goiás, on the map.
People from nearby cities are visiting the city to take pictures in front of Gomes’ artwork and post it on social media. The popular Black woman with the pink afro is not the only mural depicting the beauty of Black women and their hair. Gomes has also painted a Black woman with a green afro using natural vegetation.
The viral street art is so impressive that it was shared by hundreds of thousands of people, including Hollywood movie-star Viola Davis. She even reposted it on her Instagram page.
Over the past weeks, Gomes has conducted several interviews with Brazilian media outlets. Even major Brazilian TV broadcasts have invited him for interviews, making him a local celebrity. This recent popularity is reflected in numbers. Currently, he has 80,000 followers on Instagram and Gomes’ Instagram page shows the potential to increase every day.
This Afro-Brazilian artist started his wall art in 2014, after being inspired by other popular walls that he used to see on the internet. One of his most influential artists is Eduardo Kobra, a street artist from São Paulo who is known worldwide for his giant wall paintings presented in Brazil, United States, Europe and Asia.
Before working as an artist, Gomes was a construction worker.
“Being a construction worker helped me to increase my sense of proportion,” he said, adding that he is really proud of being a construction worker in the past, and it was his work colleagues who supported him to become a professional artist. “I used to show my art to my colleague, and they always said ‘Hey Fabio, go for it. You are a natural-born artist.'”
He makes his money painting indoor walls in residences and business places.
Gomes’ works are eclectic. But depicting the beauty of Black women is his favorite art approach.
“Although I don’t consider myself a Black activist, I always wanted to portray Black women with their natural beauty in a majestic way. The beauty of Black women always enchanted me, and I work hard to pay a beautiful homage to all Black women,” he said.
In the future, Gomes wants to have his art in other places around Brazil, and, who knows, around the world.
“Being an artist in Brazil is not easy, and it is even harder for street artists. We don’t have support from investors, and it is not cheap to buy materials to perform those artworks. But I’m confident that my art is going please many people around the world.”
You can follow Fabio Gomes’ Instagram page here.
