My pandemic

When the pandemic hit Brazil, we all began wearing masks. Well… almost all of us.

The idea of protecting myself — not only from a virus but also from an increasingly conservative, denialist, and far-right political climate — led me to a broader reflection.

I started to play with the notion of protection, imagining what truly shields me from negative influences in life.

Eventually, I identified nine ways to protect myself. Why nine, and not eight or ten? Perhaps simply for aesthetic balance.

Some of these “protections” are serious, rooted deep within my soul — like memories, nature, literature, music, and photography.

Others may seem lighter, yet are just as vital: my passion for football, sharing a cervejinha (a little beer) with close friends, or my Italian roots — represented, of course, by tagliatelle.

In times of obscurantism, self-irony becomes essential — a form of protection in itself.

This work was selected by the Museum of La Carcova in Buenos Aires (Argentina) for the international exhibit On Pause

and projected on the street buildings of Fortaleza (Brazil)