New York is no stranger to street art. amNewYork Metro recently sat down with Eduardo Kobra, a Brazil-based street artist, who speaks Portuguese, and his translator, to talk about his art and his mission to celebrate diversity and foster conversation in his murals.
Kobra got his start at age 11 back in 1987 in São Paulo, tagging buildings around where he grew up. He was inspired by the street art found in New York City, particularly by renowned street artist Martha Cooper after seeing her book “Subway Art.”
“What made me interested in art was the graffiti made in New York,” said Kobra. “I used to tag streets. I didn’t have any support and didn’t have any connection with any other artists, I had only gone to a museum for the first time when I was around 30 years old. All of my history is on the streets.”
Though he didn’t always have the money for the supplies he needed, Kobra felt called to paint, despite what was going on around him.
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“I followed my instinct to paint,” said Kobra. “It was a dangerous environment because a lot of people were involved with crime and drugs. But all I wanted was to paint.”
Kobra’s work takes a bold approach, taking portraits of notable figures and giving them a vibrant color pattern and a contemporary look. He initially brought his work into São Paulo, and after making a name for himself, he was invited to paint in more cities across the globe.
For each mural, after figuring out where the art is going to live, Kobra assesses the situation so he can figure out what he’s going to paint and how it’s going to be painted. Several of his works are on the sides of buildings with doors and windows, so Kobra takes the time to really figure out how to get each piece accomplished.
Then, once the logistics are thought through, Kobra reflects on his subject matter and figures out how it can immerse itself in the city where he is painting.
“I do an immersion of the culture of [the city where I’m painting]. I create a few themes in my artwork that are peace, tolerance, respect, union between people, indigenous people, so I bring the connection to the place where I’m painting with connected to these teams that I explore in my art,” said Kobra.
These days, you can see Kobra’s murals in over 30 countries, with several across New York City, including pieces such as “Genius Is To Bike Ride,” depicting Albert Einstein on a bicycle, in Midtown East, “Etnias” in the West Village, “Black or White,” depicting child and adult Michael Jackson in the East Village, “Braves of 9/11” in Midtown East and “Club 27” in the Lower East Side.
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Of his several New York City pieces, some of the pieces that Kobra felt were the most impactful were the United Nations mural, which depicts a man and a girl holding a globe, the Braves of 9/11 mural depicting a fireman, and the Ellis Island mural, which depicts five real immigrants that came through Ellis Island a century ago and tackles the topic of immigration.
“The work I did at the UN was a very important work for me. The mural I did for 9/11 is also very precious to me,” said Kobra. “My work is not just static, it’s not only about life and shadow or perspective or anatomy. I like to give a message through my artwork.”
For more information, visit eduardokobra.com.
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