Meet The Artist: Vanuza Amarante

Tell us about you.

I’m Vanuza Amarante, a Brazilian senior graphic designer with 12+ years of experience in the design industry. I came to Canada at the end of 2019, and in 2021 I re-joined the FRAKXION team, who I had worked with back in 2007, focusing on myriad creative projects and campaigns, with a vast range of clients of very different niches.

I was absolutely thrilled when the Folklorama creative project came to my attention, allowing me to express a bit of how attending Folklorama in the past made me feel in an art piece! It’s amazing to me that a community such as Winnipeg hosts this fantastic event – little bit of food, music, clothing, and history, with visitors jumping from pavilion to pavilion and having a very interesting and immersive experience. How incredible is that?

As both an attendee and the creative designer for Folklorama, I am so grateful to be part of this remarkable, memorable festival.

What does the artwork mean to you?

To express all the layers of an event like Folklorama was quite challenging. I considered a little bit of everything: a pinch of spice, an aroma, a taste, a decoration, a sound, different clothing and textures. We want people to experience all of these when looking at the creative design. The cultures represented by Folklorama are so different from each other, but what could bring them all together? Happiness, joy, being “open to the new”, admiration, respect and colours… so many colours!

What was your inspiration?

I wanted to stitch all those elements together, and remembered that when I was younger I used to cut photos from magazines and put them in a big piece of paper, adding glitter, seeds, and other elements to express “my art” as a child. Doing the Folklorama creative wasn’t very different; even doing it digitally I felt the same joy and happiness of joining pieces into an interesting mosaic. Every piece has its importance, no item is more relevant than the others, and it all needs to be balanced and cohesive for a great overall result.

How important to you is sharing your own culture?

I believe cultural diversity helps build our sense of community and belonging. I really appreciate that in Canada, people from all over the world can come together and reinforce this amazing nation’s values. Here I am not afraid of sharing my culture, while  having the opportunity to experience others. It’s enriching to me as a person, and reminds me to respect others, their backgrounds, and their beliefs. It is valuable to me as a designer to see patterns, objects, textures, different points of view and perspectives from people from all over the world.