Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 28
Occupation: Artist and designer.
Instagram: @gustavobarroso.eth
Hometown: I was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and raised in Nashua, NH.
Studio location: Brooklyn.
Describe what you make: I create objects, images, and memories.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: When I was 13, I designed a T-shirt and learned to screenprint it myself. That was the first time I witnessed something evolve from a sketch into an object. I think that was the most important thing I designed because I proved to myself that I could turn ideas into reality at a young age.
Describe the problem your work solves: I’m more interested in creating work that asks questions rather than solving problems.
Describe the project you are working on now: I’m producing some upholstered furniture pieces I designed during the pandemic. In tandem, I’ve been extrapolating on a sculpture series titled Avoidance where I’m forcing myself to acknowledge some of the daily mundane tasks I’ve been ignoring.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: My first solo show “Nothing to See Here” opened at Brooklyn’s KidSuper Gallery on May 20. The show explores the tensions between reality and imagination via furniture, sculpture, and painting.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Concrete floors. I often make a mess.
What you do when you’re not working: I’m probably aimlessly biking around the city. The summer energy in New York is electric. I want to have a picnic soon!
Sources of creative envy: Whoever designed the chopped cheese. Same ingredients as a cheeseburger, yet a totally new experience.
The distraction you want to eliminate: My phone steals so many hours of my life.
Concrete or marble? Marble.
High-rise or townhouse? Farm.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Aliens.
Dark or light? Dark.
