Miami, FL – September 27, 2019 – Tiago Magro is a Brazilian born mixed media artist who is transforming the urban streets of Miami Beach, New York, and Brazil. Magro’s imaginative paintings use radiating colors, textures, and elements to showcase his pure love of art through live performance.

World Red Eye met up with Magro and notable art dealer and agent Marcel Katz, to unveil the layers of artistry behind Magro’s two newest pieces. Read the full Q&A below.

By Marissa Scarpulla

WRE: As a teen, you immigrated from Brazil to the United States in 1995 with the dream of becoming an artist. How did moving to the States give you the freedom to create? 

Tiago Magro: As a teen, I was always inspired by the culture of the States, particularly by the art scene. The museums, the streets, the artists, it all inspired me to be a part of the art industry. Really, it made me want to relate to the people around me and resonate with the life around me. In the 1990’s Brazilian artists’ resources were far and few. It was a very political and traditional environment, so much so that new artists did not even have the opportunity to explore their dreams. It was too difficult, probably close to impossible, to pursue a career as an artist. So for me, moving to the States gave me exactly what you mentioned – the freedom to create. Resources to utilize, doors to open, and the opportunity to create art without boundaries and to express myself freely.

WRE: Do you think the “American Dream” is still alive? 

TM: Yes! I am living proof of this. I am an immigrant who moved to the States with the dream of being a full-time artist; something inconceivable in Brazil at those times. To me, the American Dream is the ability to do what you love and pay your bills at the same time, and that is exactly what I’m doing. So… is it still alive? Definitely.

This piece was all about female empowerment… we can empower women, make them feel beautiful, and show them that they are equal in everything they do.

Tiago Magro

WRE: You live by the motto “Love is Simple”. The universal symbol for love, is a heart. Explain your interpretation of this symbol in your work? 

TM: I think that love, from our creation until our death, is the most genuine human expression. Conceptually, love is simple. But as humans, it is in our nature to complicate things. Love is freedom, and just like freedom it is complex. In the end though, I believe that love never fails. So I express this symbolic representation of love in my art.

WRE: What was the inspiration behind your new piece? 

TM: This piece was all about female empowerment. Being that it was a collaboration with Srta Style Cosmetics, I had the rare opportunity to really focus on the ways in which we can empower women, make them feel beautiful, and show them that they are equal in everything they do. Women should know that they are entitled and encouraged to follow their calling in this world, whatever that calling may be.

WRE: How did you come across Tiago’s work?

Marcel Katz: I came across Tiago’s work during Art Palm Beach in 2018. My friend had wanted to introduce me to him. We ended up doing a show together where Tiago performed a piece, as he painted a booth the way he would paint a mural to rock music.

WRE: What made you want to work with Tiago? 

MK: Ever since I saw Tiago during the Art Palm Beach 2018 performance piece, he really grew on me, both as an artist and through his artwork. I liked that he was so versatile, so good at capturing a crowd. He’s very humble, cool, and down to earth; but he also always goes the extra mile on every project we have done. I knew he would be a great addition to the agency and has become one of the staples of The Art Plug Powerhouse and Marcel Katz Art.

WRE: You founded The Art Plug Agency, a Miami based creative art agency which is a conglomerate between Marcel Katz Art, an art dealership and pop-up gallery and The Art Plug Power House which features interactive art installations and experiences. To what do you attribute your success in creating one of the top art power houses?

MK: I attribute my success to knowing what you’re good at, and knowing what you’re not. If you can understand that distinction, you can dive into your strengths, and build a team of people who compensate for your weaknesses. I have an eye for people, and I’m a dot connector, so I’ve built a team of people who all come with different strengths that complement each other. Success also stems from fostering and preserving relationships. Certain relationships change your life. For me, when I became the youngest authorized Salvator Dali dealer, Marco Rubino wrote an article on me for Forbes, which I think formed an entryway and built momentum for me to make noise and be different – to color outside the lines. After that, The Art Plug began to multiply and expand organically. I love what I do, and I live what I do. But it takes tremendous hard work and persistence to stay relevant and be successful. There are no corners to cut. You have to work harder than everyone else, and you have to outwork people efficiently. Start from scratch, learn how to execute your vision, and don’t be scared to be different. If it makes you feel something, you know you did something right.

Ever since I saw Tiago during the Art Palm Beach 2018 performance piece, he really grew on me, both as an artist and through his artwork. I liked that he was so versatile, so good at capturing a crowd.

Marcel Katz

WRE: What is the message behind your new mural inside the new restaurant Spanglish? 

TM: My mural inside Spanglish was a collaboration with The Art Plug Agency. The goal was to really create a unique vibe in Wynwood by fusing the New York and Miami nightlife vibes of the 1920’s and showcasing it through the lens of the prohibition era.

WRE: What do you want people to take away from your work? 

TM: I want people who view my work to feel inspired. I hope my audience feels inspired to go after what they truly want in life, to do what they are meant to do, and to never give up. I think of it this way – if artists can’t inspire, then what else are we here to do? We have a responsibility to inspire, especially artists such as myself. Being an artist means giving a piece of yourself to the audience and conveying a visual story to make people feel as if they were part of your journey. The materials make up the work, but the way you use those materials make up the story. My story is one filled with hope, peace, faith, and most of all, passion and understanding. That’s what I hope my audience takes away when they view my work.

WRE: Your work is so distinctive. What elements are recurring throughout the majority of your work?

TM: Most of the recurring elements in my work are layers; layers of paint, graffiti, collages, and subliminal messages that represent who I am.

If artists can’t inspire, then what else are we here to do? We have a responsibility to inspire, especially artists such as myself.

Tiago Magro

WRE: Are there any artists who influence your work?

TM: Absolutely! There is such a vast scale of artists who influence my work in so many ways, it would be hard to name them all. I would say, Kieth Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pharrell Williams, Kaws, Jackson Pollock, Wassily Kandinsky, Daniel Arsham and FAILE. I think its their originality that pushes me. These artists constantly think outside the box and use innovative techniques that, at the time, no one had done before. Their works challenge me to do the same thing in my own art; to think bigger and better.

To me, the American Dream is the ability to do what you love and pay your bills at the same time, and that is exactly what I’m doing. So… is it still alive? Definitely.

Tiago Magro