We've been wanting to introduce you to Brazil-based illustrator and designer André Gola whose deft drawing brings to life clever and witty character designs that comfortably infiltrate animation, product design, photography, murals, and other public interventions. Gola built a long career as a successful art director working with Sao Paulo's AlmapBBDO advertising agency for 18 years, but a recent series of paintings, drawings, and embroidery on canvas finally 'spilled the glass' for us.

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Inspired by personal experiences, the artist's illustrations typically star "Suadinho," a big-headed bloke who reflects life, and simply makes the best of it. Commenting on modern-day technology, social networks, environmental issues and the waves of human emotion, Suadinho's adventures are relatable and recognizable, making his acquaintance in platforms and mediums.

Shortly after creating Suadinho, Gola was diagnosed with the neurological disorder, hydrocephalus, and underwent urgent surgery. From that point on, he felt a closer association with the character, Suadinho as a subconscious representation of himself, Gola began to address more intimate universal issues about personal suffering, stress, pressure, or even fights with his own ego. In turn, this eventually resulted in a series of ceramic works inspired by Kintsugi, a Japanese philosophy that treats damage and repair as the innate history of an object, rather than something to disguise. "Sometimes, when something breaks us, it only lifts us up." –André Gola

Recently, he completed a series of paintings on canvas that unites simple illustrative linework and embroidery. Using thread to add color and texture to the flat surface of canvas, Gola successfully accents his themes in a witty visualization of life as we know it. Sasha Bogojev