The Pintando Asé project translates African-matrix religiosity through pastel crayons, breaking away from academic rigor to honor ancestry.
An academic trajectory frequently acts as a preamble to the true discovery of identity. Graduating with a degree in Visual Arts from the Faculdade de Artes Dulcina de Moraes, Rafaela Dias Nunes Chiarini absorbed the fundamentals of drawing and the rigor of acrylic paint under the tutelage of Professor Eli Braga. However, it was only after completing the course that her visual signature began to materialize through pastel crayons. The choice of this medium represents a conscious subversion: instead of seeking the technical refinements and aesthetic perfection of realism, the artist utilizes the opacity and limits of pastels to achieve distinct emotions, textures, and visual impacts.
The Genesis of the Project and Religiosity as a Pillar
The consolidation of this plastic research under the brand “Pintando Asé” occurred within a setting of extreme structural vulnerability. In 2021, the illness of her pet, combined with the financial complications imposed by the pandemic, forced the professionalization of her craft for commercial purposes. The painting of Orixás and Umbanda entities, a theme initiated in 2020, transcended a merely creative character to act as the primary pillar of the creator’s emotional health and source of livelihood. Art and religiosity merged as inseparable tools for survival and an intimate connection with the sacred.
The Rejection of Innate Talent and Historical Responsibility
The core of her collection resides in empirical investigation and respect for Afro-Brazilian ancestry. Moving away from romanticized views of artistic practice, the painter rejects the idea of “innate talent,” structuring her practice around the concept of aptitude coupled with rigorous study. Grounded in the fundamental precept of the terreiros that the living are the materialization of their ancestors’ dreams, she views the act of painting Orixás not merely as an aesthetic expression, but as an immense responsibility to reproduce images of high devotional value for her audience, honoring the history of those who came before.
Visibility and Institutional Validation
This production, characterized by strong identity engagement and memory preservation, gains validation space within the cultural circuit this June. The Pintando Asé project is part of the official programming for “Entardecer dos Ojás,” an Afro-Brazilian cultural initiative conceptualized by Babá Joel de Osagyian in 2016 with the direct purpose of strengthening and providing visibility to the peoples of the terreiros.
The exhibition takes place on June 13 and 14, 2026, at the Complexo Cultural de Planaltina (DF). For curators, collectors, and the public interested in her research on the aesthetics of faith, the complete portfolio is available on Instagram [@pintandoase].
Source: www.revistacreator.com