Thiva

Thiva has had a creative perspective on life since his childhood. Like many young people, he enjoyed superhero comics and became engrossed in the art form. He began drawing at a very early age as a way to allow his imagination to flow into physical media. Utilizing simple resources such as pen and pencil, he created what would be his fist zines at the age of seven. While his family encouraged him as a young man, their enthusiasm waned as he grew and considered a career as an artist. In their eyes, one could not become an artist and succeed.

Conflicted, Thiva went to university where he briefly studied history and later psychology with more diligence. During this time he developed an interest in composing and producing music but the world of art seemed distant as he strained to settle into his studies. Something in his life wasn’t effectively giving him the satisfaction he desired. The change would only come once he was able to make a decision about his life path.

While his future remained unclear, he persevered where his abilities took him. With a resurgence of inspiration he was able to launch new comics such as “Burocrathia” and “The Cambara Werewolf”. He had the opportunity to study with established artists such as Rafael Albuquerque (Eisner Award winner) and Mateus Santoloco (artist responsible for the resurrection of the TMNT comics). With a growing network he was able to explore new realms of creativity.

Beyond his visual art, he also flourished as a musician, having formed a variety of bands since his teenage years. His instrumental band The Tape Disaster, formed in 2007, where he had the opportunity to explore and experiment in music. Together the band recorded their first album “Compilation” in 2012, (launched by the South Korean label Onion Music). This new art form inspired an idea for a revolutionary new project that might combine his passions for music and comics. The Constellation Project merged his aspirations into a single venture.

In 2015 Thiva was awarded with a scholarship for the groundbreaking course, Legendeer. The program was created and curated by the award winning artist and VCU professor Sterling Hundley. It offered professionals from an array of backgrounds to go ‘back into the world’ and help them to find their own voice. After the program he wrote ‘My Legendeer’ to share the story of his experience. The program would prove to be the catalyst in the decision to mature his concept to fuse comic books and music to become one story.

With newfound motivation he was able to create at a steadier pace. His growing network gave him the opportunity to work with music collaborators such as Victorino, who helped compose and record the song “Cadarço”. The Tape Disaster recorded their album “Oh, Myelin” which was later released in 2017. Exploring new genres in his writing, he created “Desenemy”, a small crime thriller. As his momentum grew, so did his projects.

The first large scale piece came in 2016 with the publication of “Deep Deep Down”. The science fiction comic expanded the story introduced in an online comic series established in 2015. It was released in both the US and Brazil. The project incorporated Max Barnocky as a music collaborator. At last his music and comic books intertwined.

Thiva has since taken the idea further. In 2017 his first album “Coloniza” (2017), music and comic books will coincide in a single launching for the first time. From this effort, the artist hopes to create more dimensionality for his work. He hopes to call attention for real social challenges. In order to finance this project, he will be establishing crowdfunding as a means to reach a broader audience. Beyond his present scope, Thiva hopes to expand his goals and continue to develop as an artist.