Walderedo De Oliveira

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Lived and worked in Paris, Morocco, NYC, São Paulo, Arizona, Bali. Presently based in Kyoto, Japan and throughout the world.

For Brazilian born artist Walderedo De Oliveira, the Amazonian rain forest is more than a theme for his striking, sensual and visionary canvases, the fate of that vast tract of land and of its native cultures, now being destroyed at an unprecedented rate, is both an inspiration and a spiritual obsession. If this environment and its Indian inhabitants are destroyed, Walderedo is convinced, a part of us will die as well.

Walderedo’s deep concern for the rain forests is not a new one. As a teenager in Brazil, the artist had already grasped the tragedy that lay ahead if exploitation of the Amazon continued.

The artist believes that an unfortunate blindness to the fate of the Indians’ environment is common in Brazil; most Brazilians think that the Amazon will never vanish.

Despite this attitude, or because of it, more than 10,000 thousand square miles of Amazon Rainforest are destroyed each year by logging and cattle farming. In the devastation, more than a hundred species of plants, animal and insects are lost each day. The indigenous people and cultures of the forest are being displaced. In few hundred years ago, 9 million indigenous people inhabited the Amazon. Today, fewer than 200,000 remain. As the Amazon dies, we lose cultures, biodiversity, and beauty of untold value.

Walderedo hopes that his work, inspired by the Amazon, can help inspire the citizens of the world to find balance in their way of life, to work to guarantee the survival of our healthy natural environment for generations to come.

I hope that in viewing my art, modern men may see and better understand the infinite possibilities of self-sustenance offered to us by the cultures of forest people.

Deep within the trees, these people have lived, generation after generation, in an intimate and harmonious relationship with our Mother Nature.

Having developed a very complex and sophisticated culture based on their natural surroundings and conscious of their role as equal players in the constantly changing cosmos, they interact and live peacefully with all the other species.

The exhaustion of the world’s natural resources taking place today represents the exhaustion of our civilization itself. A renovation of values and ethics, an ‘EcoRevolution’ is needed and expected to come by native cultures around the world, as well as large portions of city dwellers.

Perhaps a closer look at the traditional ways of native cultures can bring illumination to the obscurity of our days to come.

— Walderedo De Oliveira, New York, 1995 (revised in Kyoto 2006)

Walderedo De Oliveira CV

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Lived and worked in Paris, Morocco, NYC, São Paulo, Arizona, Bali. Presently based in Kyoto, Japan and throughout the world.

• Contact: Walderedo de Oliveira
• Selected works on Google Photos

EDUCATION

1976–1982

• École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Masters Degree in Painting. Paris, France

1970–1971

• Centro de Pesquisa de Arte Ivan Serpa. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

EXHIBITIONS

2014

• “4 Eyes, 2 Hands, 1 Vision,” main artist and organizer of a two-artist show, Kyoto Gallery. Kyoto, Japan

Solo Shows

2009

• “Gaia Speaks,” Gallery JARFO (Japanese Art Foundation). Kyoto, Japan
• “Eros & Tanatus,” B Gallery, Beams. Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
• “Gaia Speaks,” Tokyo Salon. Las Chicas, Tokyo, Japan

2006

• “Bridges to the Amazon,” Wacoal Spiral Garden. Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan
• “Peace With Nature,” B Gallery, Beams. Tokyo, Japan

2004

• “Ecotopia,” B Gallery, Beams. Tokyo, Japan

2003

• Art Point Gallery. Tokyo, Japan

2002

• Hayama Spring Art Festival. Stage Gallery. Hayama-machi, Japan Gallery Cafe David. Kyoto, Japan

2001

• “Summer Impressions.” Iteza Gallery. Kyoto, Japan

2000

• Gallery Kihzo. Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
• Gallery Café David. Kyoto, Japan
• IDEE Gallery. Tokyo, Japan
• “Give Life a Second Chance – Recycle It!” Japan Art Forum. Kyoto, Japan
• “At Your Own Risk,” Gusto House. Kobe, Japan
• PIAS Gallery. Osaka, Japan

1999

• “Healing of The 4 Directions.” Sony Tower, Osaka, Japan
• “The Healing of The 4 Corners.” Dohjidai Gallery, Kyoto, Japan

1998

• “Different People, One Shelter.” Hacknet and Garbe Art Space, Osaka, Japan
• “Animal Talk.” JM Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1997

• White Art Gallery. Tokyo, Japan
• Trax Gallery. Yamanashi-Ken, Japan

1996

• Galeria Aboporu. Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

1995

• London Gallery. New York, USA

1994

• Govinda Gallery. Washington D.C., USA
• “Feather and Fantasy, Art & Earth,” United Nations, New York, USA

1992

• “Only One World.” Nicolas Roerich Museum, New York, USA

1991

• Sareido Gallery. New York, USA
• Ergane Gallery. New York, USA

1989

• Amazon Gallery. Venice, Los Angeles, USA
• Music Academy of The West. Montecitos, Santa Barbara, USA

1986

• Galeria Bonfgliolli. São Paulo, Brazil

1984

• Galeria de Arte Banerj. Rio de Janeiro
• Museo de Arte de Moderna da Bahia. Salvador, Bahia

1983

• Museo de Arte de São Paulo (MASP). São Paulo, Brazil

1982

• Gallery Un Moment en Plus. Paris, France

1981

• Galeria do Bonfim. Amsterdan, Holland

1978

• Galerie du Hotel Mamounia. Marrakesh, Morocco

1976

• Galerie La Taniere. Paris, France

1974

• Galeria Montmartre George. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Group Shows

1999

• Latin American and Caribbean Art Exhibition, Nogimachi Culture Center. Tochigi-Ken, Japan

1997

• “Echoes From The Amazon,” Amrta. Tokyo, Japan

1997

• World Art Festival. Kyoto, Japan

1994

• Walter Wickiser Gallery. New York, USA

1993

• H.B. Starr Gallery. Palm Beach, Florida, USA
• “Imaritima,” Cast Iron Gallery. New York, USA

1991

• “A la recherche de L`Ecole de Paris.” Daimaru, Osaka, Japan
• Environmental Art Exhibition, Amlux Toyota Museum. Tokyo, Japan

1990

• “No Boundaries On The Planet of Tupis II,” Moscow
• Global Forum on The Environment and Development for Survival. Moscow, U.S.S.R.
• Latin American Exhibition, Ergane Gallery. New York, USA
• “New York Artists In Barcelona,” Cartoon Gallery. Barcelona, Spain

1989

• “No Bounderies On The Planet of Tupis.” London Echology Center, London England

1985

• “Projeto Viva o Rio,” Museo de arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

1982

• Salon de La Figuration Critique. Paris, France
• Salon D`Art Latino-Américain, Grand Palais. Paris, France

1981

• Salon de La Figuration Critique. Paris, France
• Salon de Beaux-Arts, Grand Palais. Paris, France

1980

• Galerie L’Oeil de Boeuf. Paris, France

1978

• Galerie L’Oeil de Boeuf. Paris, France

1976

• École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, France

As Curator

International group exhibitions

2014

• “Bridges to Amazon III,” Kamakura Drawing Gallery and Jack & Mame no Ki Gallery. Kamakura, Japan
• “Bridges to Amazon,” PRINZ Gallery, Kyoto and Ashita no Hako Gallery, Osaka, Japan

2013

• “Small Art for Big Nature,” Halo Gallery. Kyoto, Japan

2012

• “Bridges to Amazon II,” ZEST. Kyoto, Japan
• “Bridges to Amazon,” Kyoto International Cultural Center. Kyoto, Japan

EVENTS

2017

• Live painting performance, Yuan Ru Gallery. Taipei, Taiwan

2009

• Workshop, Osaka Fine Arts University. Osaka, Japan

2004–2009

• Earth Day celebration multi-media art event, Shin-Puh-Kan center. Kyoto, Japan

2002

• Live Painting Performance, Blue Moon, Hayama, Japan
• Live Painting Performance, Secco Bar. Tokyo, Japan
• Live Painting Performance, Stage Gallery, Hayama
• Spring Art festival. Hayama, Japan
• Live Painting Performance, Cafe David Gallery. Kyoto, Japan

2001

• Live Painting Performance, Blue Moon. Hayama, Japan
• Live Painting Performance, Kyoto Earth Day, Club Metro. Kyoto, Japan
• Body Painting, singer Minako, JVC-Victor, photo shooting promotion for SWITCH Magazine. Tokyo, Japan

2000

• Live Painting for the opening party of Benetton Megastore Omotesando. Tokyo, Japan
• Live Painting Performance, Kyorukan. Kyoto, Japan
• Live Painting Performance, Cafe David Gallery. Kyoto, Japan
• Live Painting Performance, Fuji Rock Music Festival. Japan
• Live Painting Performance, IDEE. Tokyo, Japan
• Live Performance, World Environment Day, United Nations University. Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan
• Slideshow/ Live Painting Performance, Cap House. Kobe, Japan
• Live Painting Performance, Kyoto Earth Day. Kyoto, Japan

1999

• Slideshow / Live Painting Performance, Cafe Independents. Kyoto, Japan
• Solo Exhibition and Live Performance Painting “Healing of the 4 Directions,” SONY Tower. Osaka, Japan
• Solo Show at DENTSU-Kansai. Osaka, Japan
• Solo Exhibition/ Music performance, Kanto Grande. Osaka, Japan

1998

• US-Earth Access Committee: Robert Kennedy Jr. Environmental Conference,  Akasaka Prince Hotel. Tokyo, Japan

1997

• Lecture and Workshop: “Ecology, Recycle and Creativity,” Tokyo University. Tokyo, Japan

1995

• New York Earth Day 25th Anniversary: Gigantic Slide Projection on the Empire State Building. New York, USA
• Solo Show at Amazon Week V, United Nations. New York, USA

COMMERCIAL ART

CD Jacket Illustration

2009

• Dragon Ash: Freedom, JVC Victor Music, Japan

2001

• Choro Club: Marítima, Sony Music Japan

2000

• Jephete Guillaume: Voyages of Dreams. AVEX, Japan
• UA: Turbo, JVC Victor Music, Japan
• UA: Private Surfer single. JVC Victor Music, Japan
• Ska Compilation 6 CD series. Justa Records, AVEX, Japan

1997

• Jephete Guillaume: Voyages of Dreams Spiritual Music, US, UK, France

1978

• Jimi Hendrix: Compilation, Phermata, Brazil

EMPLOYMENT

Art teacher at Temple University Tokyo, Japan, 2006–2008