Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Artist Bio - Orlando Grünewald

Orlando Grünewald is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Toronto. His work is often inspired by a cartoon aesthetic, as well as by the Cordel literature and naïve art of his native Brazil – whose simplistic themes and colourful nature challenge his hybrid identity as a Brazilian who’s also Canadian, a modern man who hasn’t forgotten the past. This focus on identity permeates all of his illustrations. An enthusiast of technology and innovation, Orlando is also concerned with notions of the self, gender, and sexuality – bold interests that defy our traditional understanding of the naïve art aesthetic. Ultimately, Orlando strives to reconcile the simplicity of cartoons and naïve art with the darker rhythms of the modern, technological world he inhabits.