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Abner Salustiano

"I am a trained plastic artist. I explore silver and stones to create jewelry with unique characteristics. I began my work with Marcio Mattar, a sculptor and jeweler, who along with Burle Marx, Pedro Correa de Araujo, and other artists became involved with the production of artistic jewelry in the 60's.

"I think that the value of jewelry is found much more in the aesthetic pleasure evoked by its form rather than the material used. This is the ideological position of the 'Circulo de Autores de Joias,' a group I helped found in 1997 that renewed the artistic production of Brazilian jewelry. The creativity of the artist and the lines of the piece are fundamental in our work proposal.

"Today I develop artistic work that is marketable, and thus is available to a greater number of people. At the beginning, my showcases were art galleries. I participated in many important exhibitions in the museums of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, but I think the most significant was in 1988, at the Modern Art Museum in Sao Paulo, whose theme was 'The Afro-Brazilian Hand.' I am the only African descendant that is established presently in the Brazilian jewelry market. I am a member of the jeweler's association of Rio de Janeiro, where I used to be the director of artisanal jewelry. I teach jewelry techniques and perform industry assessments.

"My experience with the Internet is restricted to the page for my jewelry courses. Novica is a cool idea that allows the artist to experiment with the reactions of a large and diversified market. It allows for exclusive and distinguished pieces to be supplied to many more people, and in this sense it is a rare experience for me and my mulher, Silvana, who is my partner and associate."

PRINCIPAL EXHIBITIONS:

1984 - First International Encounter of Arte Negra - Rio de Janeiro
1986 - First Auction of Jóias Assinadas - Hotel Glória - Rio de Janeiro
1988 - "The Afro-Brazilian Hand" - Museu de Arte Moderna - São Paulo
1993 - Seminário Artista Plástico e Joalheiro - Museu Nacional de Belas Artes - Rio de Janeiro
1997 - Feira Internacional de Jóias - Museu de Arte Moderna - Rio de Janeiro
1998 - Collective Exhibition Círculo de Autores de Jóias - Espaço Cultural dos Correios - Rio de Janeiro
1998 - Feira Internacional de Jóias - Hotel Intercontinental - Rio de Janeiro
2000 - Feira Internacional de Jóias - Hotel Transamérica - Rio de Janeiro
2000 - Feira Internacional de Jóias - Hotel Intercontinental - Rio de Janeiro
2001 - Feira Internacional de Jóias - XXXII Feninjer - São Paulo