Domingos Tótora

A mixed artisan and designer, Domingos Tótora creates furniture from the recycling of cardboard, in Maria da Fé, MG, his hometown. He studied fine arts at the Armando Álvares Penteado Foundation (FAAP) and at the School of Communication and Arts of the University of São Paulo (ECA-USP).

At the time he devoted himself to the fine arts, he printed images on paraffin blocks. He made installations with a mass of cardboard and photographed them. One day, he realized that he could also make objects. Domingos Tótora watches nature with eyes of wonder. The mountains, the plowed land, and the course of the Maria da Fé River hint at the shapes it materializes with cardboard.

Originating from wood, the cardboard returns to its initial form in the hands of Domingos; when it is broken up, it is processed with glue and agglutination derivatives, transforming it into a moldable cellulose mass. The cardboard mass goes into the creation process and is molded in free gesture to become something, whether bank, vase, holder or just parts of a whole. In this way, design and execution come together to achieve sustainability at all levels.

Of unparalleled beauty, its pieces include vases, fruit bowls, centerpieces, and nature-reminiscent furniture such as earth, stones, and tree bark. To the artist, the greatest merit of Brazilian design is not to have a unique identity, is to be multiple - characteristic of a continental country. In each place there is one thing. What appears in the piece is the region with its particularity and ethnic and cultural miscegenation. It makes a very innovative design. Having no set standard allows you to create very new things and opens up infinite possibilities.

Before winning brazilian fans, Tótora debuted at the Maison et Objet fair of 2005 in France. His creations earned him important awards, such as the one conferred by the Brazilian House Museum / SP in the furniture category. In 2011, Tótora was named one of the best professionals of the year by the prestigious London Design Museum.