Interview
Cybele Chaves
Cybele is a Brazilian artist who has been involved with art since she was a child. She loves to draw and paint animals, and cats hold a special place in her heart. She started out by drawing cats, and even now they remain her main subject.
Cybele studied drawing at the Pan-American Art School in São Paulo, Brazil.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I’m Brazilian, born in the city of São Paulo. I’ve liked drawing and painting since I was a child. I graduated with a degree in dentistry from the University of São Paulo. Soon after college, I studied basic drawing for 6 months at the Pan-American Art School (Escola Panamericana de Arte). But it was only after moving to Belo Horizonte that I took art more seriously, discovering new materials such as soft pastels, charcoal, colored pencils and polymer clay to make necklace pendants.”
What inspires you?
“Cats were my first concrete inspiration. One day, a female cat appeared at my flat garden and I started to take care of her. I always loved cats but had never lived with one before. To get to know how to care for her well, I became a reader of a magazine dedicated to cats. At the end of each issue there were beautiful photos of cats of different breeds, and those photos inspired me to draw my first portraits of cats. From there, they became the main subject in my art. Coincidentally, the same magazine published an interview about me and my cat artworks.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“After a long time drawing and painting only cats and sometimes dogs, I started to turn my attention to birds, nature scenes and even some digital work. I've done some people’s portraits too, but not many. More recently, due to the great fires in Australia, I’ve painted a koala series in order to raise awareness to these animals, which are supposed to go extinct by 2050, and also because they inspire me as cute and sweet creatures.
As I depict animals and nature, I think I give them importance and show the world that they need to be respected.”
Which artists influence you most?
“I wouldn’t say they inspire me because our styles are different, but I love Monet, Renoir and Frida Kahlo. I can’t really tell from what artists my inspiration comes.”
How would you describe your work?
“My artworks are usually realistic drawings and paintings, but not hyper realistic. I seek a deep expression in the eyes of the animals I depict.”
What is your creative process like?
“I always have a photograph as the inspiration for my next work. It has to bring up some impact or feeling in me.”
What is art’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Artists may play many roles in society like raising awareness about a certain subject, bringing joy to their audience, sending implicit messages through their artworks.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I’m honored to have taken part in the 16th and 17th editions of the CIAB, the International Circuit of Brazilian Art, which took place in 2011 and 2012 respectively across different countries.
XVI CIAB - Circuito Internacional de Arte Brasileira:
Vienna, Austria: Austrian Latin America Institute (LAI) - May, 2011
Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal: Museu de Montemor - May, 2011
Madrid, Spain: Casa do Brasil - May, 2011
Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Museu Inimá de Paula - July/August 2011
XVII CIAB - Circuito Internacional de Arte Brasileira:
Budapest, Hungary, Amsterdam, Holland and Paraná, Brasil from August to October 2012.
Budapest, Hungary: Centro Cultural Brasil Hungary - August/September 2012
The Hague, Netherlands - September 2012
Maringá/Paraná, Brazil: Maringá Museum - October 2012
I also took part in the Pet Fancy Exhibition in Statesville, North Caroline, USA, September to November 2008.”
