An exhibit showcasing the graffiti artworks of thirty Brazilians opened this week as they compete for the cover for Madonna’s new single Superstar.
The cover will be decided by the queen of pop herself with the help of fans who will be able to vote online until mid-December.
Before coming up with their final works, the artists went through graffiti workshops for a month to learn new techniques and share ideas.
Their teacher was Brazilian artist Binho Ribeiro who helped them choose the best works for the contest.
Ribeiro said the project was helping young Brazilian street artists get global exposure.
“The result could not have been better: it was original and the artists are getting a great exposure, which will certainly have an impact on the lives of these young talents. I’m very happy to have been a part of this,” he said.
Luis Vicentini, a 26-year-old artist who took part in the project, said it was more of a learning experience than a competition.
“I don’t see this much as a competition; it was more like a friendly collective experience. There was no feeling of competitiveness between the artists,” he said.
Madonna’s final decision will be announced in December, when she visits Brazil on tour for her new album MDNA.
The title — an allusion to the drug MDMA or ecstasy — also served as an inspiration for some of the artists, who chose to portray bizarre scenes on the canvas.
Twenty-eight-year-old artist Vinicius Caps said his work was rather unusual and was unlikely to please most people.
“Honestly, I didn’t create this thinking about what would please people; it came from the heart, like everything else I do. This is just another artwork that I did for love, regardless of Madonna’s choosing it or not. I will continue to make art, I will continue to paint and my life as an artist goes on,” he said.
Madonna’s art director, Giovanni Bianco, also guided the artists through the final stages of the workshop, to give them a better idea of the pop singer’s style.
Designer Juliana Fernandes said she loved the variety of the works.
“Seeing each one’s style and how it showed on the canvas is very cool. The cool thing about it is that the works are very diverse; there are several forms of expression in a same theme and this is very interesting,” she said.
The exhibit will also travel to other Brazilian cities before the final cover is chosen.