Adhemas Batista was born in 1980 in the south of Brazil, São Paulo city. Self-taught since his fifteens, Adhemas' distinctive visual style has earned him multiple advertising awards and press. The list includes 2 Gold Statues in the London Festival, Brazilian Young Creative in the Cannes Advertising Festival 2003 and the only artist from Brazil to be part of the Coca-Cola Remix project.
Now working out of Los Angeles under his own studio named Magenta, Adhemas has worked with some of the world's biggest brands. Absolut Vodka, Brastemp, Callaway, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Havaianas, Microsoft, Nokia, Nordstrom, Pony, Renault, Symantec, Toyota, Volkswagen, Wired, Zune and the list goes on.
But the vibrancy and color of his homeland still shines through any corporate quagmire. Bold and glorious with all the colorful flourish and passion of any Brazilian Carnival Scene.
How would you describe your personal style?
My style, I think, is very bold, vibrant, contrasting and very bright in colors. I love to mix abstract shapes with illustrations or photos. I like the idea of the real mixed with the imaginary, the unknown, dreamworld attached to a real photo or an illustrated situation. Actually I guess we're like that - we live the reality, but most part of our life we live in the thoughts, the dreams.
When you were a child, did you want to become an illustrator?
No, I always wanted to be soccer player till I was 11-12 years old. I believed that I could become a player, but now I see how bad I was playing soccer and why I work with computers now.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I'm always connected through books, internet, movies, music - everything that makes me in a good mood to work serves me as an inspiration to create, to work everyday and keep going. Inspiration comes with a good day, good relationship, good mood. If you're feeling good with yourself it's enough to create. If you have emotional problems in your life, you can be the most genius creative, but you won't be productive.
Could you describe your working process?
Sure. I'm addicted to the internet, always looking e-mail, navigating through news. I kind of work 10-14 hours a day, yeah I know, but I feel very happy with myself working. For me it's not work only, I have fun drawing, designing. I'm always overloaded managing 2-3 projects at once. I do hand drawings when I feel like doing it, not that good tho. I draw on computer, I make image treatment, art direction, design, package, web, print, illustrations... I like to say that media doesn't matter anymore, matters what you can do to differentiate things for your clients.
What would be the ideal working setup for you?
I guess I have the ideal setup today. I work on my garage, I have a good equipment, my kids come by anytime they want to see me, to stay in the garage with me. My dog is always sleeping in the floor, I don't have much more to ask for. Maybe when things got better, I would buy my own house and have a bigger garage :-)
What do you love the most about your life as an illustrator?
Not only as an illustrator (art director and designer as well) but I love the freedom, the right to choose the projects to work with. Even in a bad economy, times like right now the world is living in, you can say no for things that makes you regret later. Working inside a company you have to most times do stuff that you don't like, to guarantee your limited salary, slavery per sa. You wake up, go to work, do your boring work, come back and it's like that always. I'd rather have nothing in my pocket but have my life for myself, working anytime I want, giving me day-off when I feeling like don't work, and not limited sick days.
If you had to do something totally different for living, what would it be?
I have no idea, I'm too bad as a soccer player.
What kind of music do you listen while working?
I like pop music, dance, electronic, happy music. The kind of music that makes people dance, shake the booty, that kind of music gives me energy to work.
If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?
To my mother country and give a big hug on my parents.
Who are you all-time favorite artists?
Tough question, I have no favorites. Well it's hard because I admire people who make success, I don't have a specific one. Neither for music, or art, design, anything. I respect many people, but I don't have a favorite that I always like, it's just I don't focus my taste in a couple of things, I like to experiment different things. If you ask me what's my favorite food, I will have the same hard time to answer you.
Who has been the most inspiring non-artistic person for you?
My father, he took care of my family with the little knowledge he had about things. He left his small town as an employee of a farmer to a big city like São Paulo and built our life with the only resources he had - his hands and body as a plumber. He never complained about things and was very strong to give everything he could to me and my brothers, working lots of hours, but for himself as a self-employee. He also preferred being free rather than work for other people. I admire his courage.
What is the most bizarre dream you ever had?
Funny, if I start talking about bizarre dreams (laughs). But who doesn't like to dream flying around? It's the best, you wake up and feel like you fell in the floor, just kidding... If that's the kind of dream you wanna know, I've dreamed like I was the best soccer player ever, like Ronaldo was. Not Cristiano Ronaldo or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, but like Ronaldo, he definitely deserves respect, 3 times the best player? I still believe he will come back and be the best player once again. Unfortunately he had those problems with his knees, I bet he could be the best soccer player ever if his legs cooperate more.
If you could meet any great name from known human history, who would it be?
Lots of names in mind, but maybe, Da Vinci, I would ask him like - Would you like to use photoshop?
Thank you!