Born and raised in Maria da Fé, a city in the mountainous region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Domingos Tótora chose cardboard as the source material for his work. The beauty of his work not only manifests in the nal product but in the process itself. From the artist's philosophy and respect for the environment to his production process, everything translates Domingos' sensitivity, awareness, and deep connections to his roots. In his studio, recycled cardboard is broken up into small pieces and turned into a pulp, which serves as the base for his art pieces.
Objects and environment make it clear that this isn't an obsessive search for perfection. Imperfection is a constitutive part of his work. In the artist's words:
"I dialogue with the mass of cardboard until the moment that only it speaks. Then I let myself take until I nish the piece. I do not just design, I look for the emotion before even the function."
Domingos Tótora
Born 1960
Based in Maria da Fé — Brazil
Museum of the Gulf Coast
Port Arthur . Texas — USA
The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
Wausau . Wisconsin — USA
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson
Tucson . Arizona — USA
Wildling Museum, Solvang
Solvang . California — USA
Newington-Cropsey Foundation
Husdon . New York — USA
Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa . Oklahoma — USA
National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington D.C.
Washington . D.C. — USA