Giovani Ramos Flores
São Paulo, Brazil
With the flag I wanted to represent the force of nature and the seas. In Brazil we have several stories of beings, mostly women, who are protectors of seas and rivers, as in Brazilian folklore, Yara. I live in São Paulo, a city where most of the rivers are polluted and many poor communities without access to basic sanitation have contact with it. Unfortunately this is common in Brazil mainly in the North and Northeast. The figure was also inspired by Abaporu, a painting by Tarsila do Amaral, a great Brazilian artist.
Interview with Giovani
Postfossil: Hello! What is your name and where are you from?
I’m from São Paulo, Brazil and my name is Giovani Ramos Flores.
Postfossil: How do you work?
I’am an illustrator so I try to work every moment because it is what I love to do. I like to be scribbling things, sketching and always trying to convey something with what I do.
Postfossil: What inspires you?
Feelings, I always try to translate or express feelings.
Postfossil: What are you up to right now?
I’am finishing my degree in graphic design, working as a freelancer with illustration and design after a period working with advertising.
Postfossil: How did you start the design process of the flag?
I began to think of something that represents nature more specifically the waters and that it had a feeling of „waking up“. After a few sketches I got the shape I wanted.
Postfossil: What do you want to express with your design of the flag?
Here in São Paulo all rivers are polluted and some favelas, mostly black population, without basic sanitation have contact with this water. The population’s disregard for this is enormous. I wanted to represent the force of nature and how small we are in relation to it and if we do not take care of it now we can suffer serious consequences in the present and in the future.
Postfossil: What is your wish for the future of the planet?
Living in a more rational, tolerant and critical thinking world.
