The Neighborhood News Online

Bakari Santos

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Category: Art

Published on Monday, 30 November 2009 23:00

Written by Carla Weber

Bakari Santos arrived in California, hitchhiking the dusty and unpaved back roads of South America from his homeland of Brazil.  A Biology major in college with an innate curiosity, Santos ventured throughout the southern hemisphere, at times landing at remote archeological sites and isolated small pueblos.   After traveling for two years,  he finally arrived in Los Angeles and landed a job with the Brazilian Consulate where his place as a tourist leapt to diplomatic status.

Santos immediately began to establish roots and embraced the variety and flavor as he became more familiar with the enormous range of the city.  Exploring East Los Angeles, he discovered the music and dance of the Latin community. He also developed affinities for the South Central community and the Asian communities.

When you visit Santos at his home, a whisper south of Washington and West Boulevards, you will find Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Morocco spilling over everywhere. In his garden, guava and papaya trees flourish alongside a variety of other undetermined exotic flora.  The walls of his home are drenched with art, revealing lands visited and relished.  Santos’ own work -- which is, at times, personal, tribal and universal - covers many of the walls.

Santos is a master of many mediums: making masks from the palm fronds that have fallen from a discordant Santa Ana wind, etching with metal, using canvas, oils and brushes, henna Mehndi tattooing and making jewelry. His dynamic range even landed him a stint as a principal dancer in a Hollywood movie doing the Lambada.

Santos not only participates in art exhibitions in and around town but also straddles the world of Brazilian events as a promoter and producer. Coming up this December, Santos will be participating in a group show at the Bluebird Gallery in Whittier where several of his pieces will be shown.     bluebirdarthouse.wordpress.com                                                                                                                         To contact Bakari  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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