Charles’s roots are firmly planted in Aracaju, but it was in Rio de
Janeiro—with its bohemian atmosphere and bustling antique fairs
—that his eye truly sharpened. A collector of art books and objects
with history, he delved into the depths of time, unearthing
treasures that would shape his earliest assemblages. About ten
years ago, after 25 years in the world of IT, he shifted to a new
landscape: one of culture, gastronomy, and entertainment.
Charles became the guiding force behind spaces like Galeria
Scenarium and Rio Scenarium—places that, like his art, breathe
the soul of Rio. Yet it is in his studio, nestled in Rio’s mountain
region beside a river winding through the Atlantic Forest, that his
creative spirit is replenished, like an alchemist finding the
ingredients for his magical potions in nature.
Charles’s awakening to the visual arts came under the influence
of his sister, the artist Rita Barreto, who encouraged him to follow
a path of experimentation and discovery. A major turning point in
his journey came with the course “Encontros e Reflexões” taught
by Iole de Freitas. Charles began to view art with an entirely new
perspective, diving into contemporary art studies and embarking
on his first creations, inspired by artists such as Arthur Bispo do
Rosário and Farnese de Andrade.
Guided by the spirit of Dadaism, Charles Barreto juxtaposes
diverse materials through accumulation, creating a thought
system that multiplies meanings. In his artistic universe, myths
and mysticism intermingle, revealing a fertile imagination that
moves effortlessly between Marilyn Monroe and Napoleon, angels
and mermaids, just as fluidly as he combines scraps of cowhide
with historical prints. Social consciousness also permeates his
work, as in the triptych Still in Living Flesh, which pairs Debret’s
prints
with
fragments
of
leather
stained
red,
poetically
denouncing violence and brutality.