HUGO FRANÇA (b. 1954)

The work of the Brazilian artist Hugo França first reached prominence in the mid-1990s, at a time when the deforestation of the Brazilian rainforests was increasingly in the international spotlight. The re-use of discarded off-cuts from the timber industry, that would otherwise be burnt, continues to resonate with current environmental concerns. Working from his studio in São Paulo, he selects timber from the forests of Bahia and uses their natural form or the position of the fallen tree to select the most appropriate function, working them into sculptural pieces, giving new life to timber whose natural life had been cut short.