Gustavo Tavares Barceloni

Born in Curitiba, Brazil and raised in the Greater Boston area, Gustavo Tavares Barceloni reflects his immigration, class perspective, languages, humor, and political agitation in his illustrative tableware and sculptures.

Growing up working class and culturally conflicted, Gustavo was determined to satisfy his hunger for understanding his duality and to live up to the opportunity made possible to him by his immigrant parents. Out of many creative outlets, clay lent the most connection. That's when he opted to take a BFA at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. 

As an experienced  high-end cook and lover of food memories, Gustavo merged culinary art with ceramic art and designed high quality tableware for restaurant settings and art events. He apprenticed, interned, and worked for various ceramic artists and studio spaces while advocating  for more rigorous art business and creative professional education. He also pursued other ways art can be consumed: through education, history in the present, and community building. His love of sharing the medium led him to co-lead Clay for Change, which offered free community classes and fundraised for non-profits through Empty Bowls events. Gustavo also curated Resistance Culture: An Art Show for Revolutionaries, and  spoke at the annual symposium, "Creative Counterpoints: Artists Translate Difference."

After graduating MassArt in 2017, Gustavo obtained a Master of Education degree from UMass Boston in 2019. 

Gustavo lives in Boston, MA with his wife Vanessa Norris. His activism and educational path continues to shape his efforts towards radical social change.

New addition to crayon box? 
A crayon with multiple colors, and as you draw through the crayon it’ll reveal different colors every few moments. I like variety and new experiences. I think that fits me well. 

How did you become interested in art?
It’s always hard to remember the first time something peaked my interest in art. The cliche of being an “artist” since first picking up a pencil didn’t necessarily ring true for me but getting messy and doodling has always been fun as hell. I guess becoming a potter that illustrates has some of its roots there if you consider art in its most basic human expression of creativity. I only considered myself an artist later past middle school. I loved art class and constantly looked forward to it. My view of what art was and who it was for had its influence in the “high art” of museums via field trips or sightseeing with my mom but nothing quite blew me away like seeing the amazing graffiti on the streets of Curitiba as a young kid. 

What has your path to art looked like?
By the time I was in highschool I was an “art kid”. There I experimented with a variety of mediums for the first time and clay was one of them. I hated how clumsy my first pots were but eventually that didn’t matter too much when I finally got to throw on the potter’s wheel and had a blast. I loved to cook as well and started working in kitchens when I was fifteen. I decided to go to MassArt instead of going to culinary school but my interests would end up overlapping regardless.

What does a typical studio day look like for you? 
On my days when I’m not working or organizing, I drive 20 min to my studio and spend all day long playing podcasts about history and Marxism or listening/dancing to hip hop, funk, or reggae. I'm a productive procrastinator at heart so I’ll recycle clay, clean, gather art materials, experiment with some random ideas for pots, and then eventually get around to a certain project I’m chipping away at. What kind of work I do is usually shaped by what stage in the drying process the clay is in. I usually take a break to lay on my hammock, eat some food, or drum away on my cajon. Once I make enough work and have it bisqued, I focus on painting and glazing. 

Do you have a favorite part of the artistic process? 
My favorite part is definitely throwing on the wheel. It’s always so fun! I never get sick of it. Also seeing the work come out of the kiln is always a joy regardless of some failures. 

How has your practice changed over time?
Arriving at MassArt I was determined to figure out how to carve a path as an independent ceramics business with some focus on restaurantware. This path eventually shifted into thinking about food, art, and community work. Clay for Change was a MassArt student organization that I co-led with Vanessa Norris (now my wife) and together we helped fundraise, host free community classes, and screen political documentaries. Creating with profit in mind versus creating with the needs of the people in mind has been pulling me towards a path in art where I wish to share a historical, a cultural, and a working class awareness. Now I’m figuring out what social value art can create in this moment and how art can be utilized for social change. 

Favorite tool?
My favorite tool to create with is definitely a wooden tool I use to throw that is so common yet it’s my go-to everytime. I always love to use stamps too. That’s been fun lately. 

In addition to earning a BFA you also have a Master’s in  education; did you have a specific focus within education? Did that affect your artistic practice?
I focused on teaching history. I have been drawn to studying history since high school and it was largely tied to my political study. When I was getting my Master’s and student teaching 6th grade history I was able to bring my knowledge of ceramics into the classroom.  As a potter you’re dealing with a material with long and far reaching roots in history so it's an easy point of discussion. Those experiences helped me further consider art as a teaching tool. I’ve been really influenced by potters who have used ceramics as a means to push for justice and for new narratives. 

Who are other artists that have influenced your work?
The names are endless but they include Os Gemeos, Blu, Theaster Gates, Roberto Lugo, Lauren Mabry, Kara Walker, Diego Rivera, Art Young, Ehren Tool, Salvador Jiménez-Flores, and many more!

Where do you find sources of inspiration?
I often find sources of inspiration in my own memories, those of my parents labor, of my trips to Brazil, I really own my working class identity. As a person who feels not one hundred percent Brazilian, not one hundred percent American, I try to look toward diasporic culture. I’m guided by artists who have dealt with difficult questions in regards to identity, history, and in regards to social change. 

Which specific aspects of Brazilian culture show up in your artwork?
The cultural markers I focus on in my artwork include things like rice and beans and Brazilian slang. 

Can you tell us about any specific political figures that have influenced your work? 
Nina Simone, who said an artist’s duty is to reflect the times; Assata Shkur who said it is our duty to  fight for our freedom. Folks like Che [Guevara], who had an undying love for the people, and who as Minister of Industry would work with workers in the fields and the factories, and uplifted the dignity of workers in a grand socialist project that brought education, literacy, healthcare, and so much more to the people. Paul Robeson was another figure who brought art to the people, and to workers. He knew almost a dozen languages, and would sing in the language of the country in which he was performing. Paul Robeson would give personal concerts to workers in the factories, and would make sure his shows were accessible to workers. These themes were huge in shaping how I want to move my work forward. 

If you could become one of your characters/works of art which one would you become, and why? 
I would become a ceramic soccer ball I made for an installation. I stuffed an empty soccer ball with rocks and let someone else kick it. That was kind of the prankster energy I’ve always had, as well as soccer being a cultural marker in Brazil. It represented how it can be a bit of a trick to deal with expectations 

You mentioned you have also worked in the restaurant industry, in addition to creating tableware, do you think there is more space for collaboration between artists and restaurants? 
I definitely think there is more space for collaborations between artists and restaurants. It’s been a bit of a trend to get work crafted specifically for restaurants, and I’m all for it. I’m also excited about all the different ways food and art can collaborate.

Several of your pieces appear to reflect your political beliefs; do you believe art is inherently political, or does an artist choose to be political? 
Everything is political regardless of what you do. It reflects in how power is shared, or not shared, or whose stories are reflected or not. If you make art you’ve got to consider all the political ramifications behind your practice. For example, where you buy your materials is political, what kind of carbon footprint you leave, which narratives you exclude or include is political. The people, artists, and institutions you deal with are political. You can’t escape it.  You should be aware of it, and you should utilize it accordingly. Even the person who just paints flowers after a long day of work is engaging in something political. Afterall, what is politics but power? When we feel disempowered we reach for creativity to refuel, recharge, and imagine another day. The practice of art comes from our material conditions. It’s one thing to think about the artist who makes work about politics versus how politics shapes our very art making, and how we define art. 

You describe yourself as “culturally conflicted,” can you elaborate on what that means to you, and how it has affected your artistic practice? 
I’ve described myself as culturally conflicted to highlight a certain feeling that many individuals in diasporic cultures feel of not being enough, or not being one hundred percent this or that. It’s a feeling that not too many understand as a positive feeling, but  want to highlight it as being on a bridge and being able to see both sides. I think it’s an important perspective that I wish I had when I was younger. Slowly, I was able to find folks who understood this feeling of cultural confliction. My art practice is about highlighting this feeling on a pot where folks can sit down and discuss a mug, which is a common household item, but it can provide time for contemplation. The vessels are really just starting points for conversations, and when we have these pieces in our homes we can bring these topics up a little easier. 

What is your ultimate professional goal?
My ultimate professional goal is to use my position for the goals of socialism wherever I end up. I want to do my part to empower workers, to tip the scale towards a world free from capitalism, which is destroying this planet and causing so much misery. 

What is your favorite accomplishment thus far?
Getting Dirty E Studios up and running was definitely a huge accomplishment. I feel very proud of my wife and I, and all the work put into having that studio space to make our art practice possible. 

Superpower? 
Teleportation. I love to travel and don’t like to pay for flights.