Create Art on Comic Sneakers Until Cesária.

In a corner of Cape Verdean culture, Marilson Tavares, gardener at the Cape Verde parliament and aspiring painter, finds his expression of passion and talent in customizing sneakers.

At the age of 20, he transforms simple sneakers into works of art, shared on Instagram as 'Arte Dnox Crioulo Official'. While facing financial obstacles, he remains determined to fulfill his dream of being a great painter, driven by a teacher who believed in his potential since childhood.

Art on Sneakers

A pair of sneakers with a drawing by Cesária Évora, voice of morna and icon of Cape Verdean culture, gains prominence on Marilson Tavares' page on the social network Instagram, where the popularity of her art of customizing sneakers is growing.

Marilson, 20 years old, is a gardener at the Cape Verde parliament, in Praia, but since he was a child he has impressed everyone around him with drawings and paintings. He grew up wanting to be “a great painter“, but the lack of income has put a brake on his dream, leaving the restoration and painting of sneakers as a visible sign of his passion which he signs on the Internet as 'Arte Dnox Crioulo Official'.

With his 12th year of schooling completed, he signed up for training in the area of ​​drawing and painting in 2022, but did not finish it. “I ended up giving up“, due to lack of money to pay for tuition and transport, he says, with regret, because he wanted to “gain knowledge” and experience with those who are also dedicated to the arts.

Despite the obstacles, he maintains his ambition, thanks to a particular motivation he received when he was a child:

“Some didn't believe it, but my teacher had so much confidence in me that she said that, one day, I would be able to achieve my dream. And I don’t want to give up.”

With a vocation known to everyone, some friends began to suggest that he apply art to ready-to-wear or sneakers and thus he launched a career that makes social media his main showcase.

The Challenge of Being an Artist

Marilson lives at his mother's house, in Várzea, one of Praia's central neighborhoods, and is in a room still under construction that occupies a single table with brushes, acrylic paints, an 'airbrush' (the name given to the painting machine) and a hairdryer. hair. Next door, a shoe rack is almost full with orders, not only from Cape Verde, but also from Portugal and France.

“When I started making realistic designs on customers’ shoes, I saw that they weren’t satisfied. It’s an immense challenge.”

“I have an airbrush, but it's weak, the work doesn't turn out the way I want and clients want perfection.”

It is a challenge made worse by the lack of resources to “buy all equipment“, he says. Therefore, whenever you can, save to invest in the business,

It takes four hours to design a pair of sneakers, be it a sunflower design, or to make someone's face - besides Cize (Cesária), on sneakers that he already sold and also Amílcar Cabral, founder of independence, was an icon that has already painted.

Figures from the story appear alongside comic book heroes and each customization costs three thousand escudos (27 euros), “an affordable price“, keeping in mind a balance between the economic crisis in the country and the requirements of art.

Conclusion

The sneakers transformed by Marilson stop being a piece of footwear and become living canvases. The young artist, despite interruptions in his training due to financial problems, among comic book heroes, channels Cape Verdean history, from Cesária Évora to Amílcar Cabral, in his drawings.

Each pair, meticulously designed in approximately four hours, balances creativity, art and the country's economic reality, making Marilson's work a unique fusion of creativity and pragmatism. This is a unique dive into Cape Verdean artistic expression, where the lack of resources does not limit the vibrant vision of its author.

What do you think of the innovation of this Cape Verdean creating art on sneakers? We want to know your opinion, do not hesitate to comment and if you liked the article, share and give a “like/like”.

Picture: © 2023 Elton Monteiro