When Architecture Meets Nature: Fantastic Giant Wooden Objects Of Henrique Oliveira

Henrique Oliveira’s work crosses the genres of architecture and art, challenging perceptions and labels of sculpture and painting. Primarily describing himself as a painter, Oliveira started with oil on canvas and is now additionally working with his own uniquely created style of painting, with wood.

It’s an unusual description but one that makes sense when visually seen, as the artist transforms the wood he uses into a three dimensional painting. It is easy to see the connection, his adaptation and reuse of materials is completely original, with the pieces organically growing. This is not just a referral to the aesthetics of his work, but the way the work is created, processed and executed.

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With constructions constantly taking place in his hometown of São Paolo, the most common wood used for building houses is often discarded, and left for reuse by others. Connecting the visual similarity of the wood when broken to a brushstroke, Oliveira started to explore the properties of wood, and in particular, the wood of discarded tapumes.

The language of Oliveira’s work is inviting, easy owing, and connecting. It is multi-lingual. In any context, the viewer can enjoy the works and then experience it’s message through experience. It’s elements are a reminder of society’s reliance on nature, and the artist’s dramatically modest approach is a comforting reminder of this.

Oliveira has been busy recently, with travels worldwide seeing his work created in new environments in various cities, allowing new audiences to experience their power in the flesh. He’s only about to get busier, so we took the chance to sit down and find out more about this elusive artist.