Art &
Design
Meet the Maker
ABOUT

Born and raised in Maria da Fé, a city in the mountainous region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Domingos Tótora returned to his hometown after studying design in Sao Paulo and chose cardboard as the source material for his work that falls between art and design. The surrounding landscape and his passion for nature serve as the source of inspiration for his work. Starting with recycled cardboard, he creates objects and sculptures where beauty is inseparable from function, granting an artistic aura to common everyday objects.

Studio
Based in Maria da Fé, Brazil.

Domingos Tótora's studio is a modern, open space nested between the deep blue of the open sky and the emerald green of the mountains.

Consistency
and Integrity
Everything is one. Everything is related. The objects and the environment echo the wabi-sabi aesthetics, which seeks beauty through stillness and of the inspiration in nature. Objects and environment make it clear that there isn't an obsessive search for perfection. Imperfection is taken as a constitutive part of his work.

Here, the natural light is tangible, giving form to the surfaces of objects and sculptures. Nature and work embrace and interact with each other.

Process
We believe sustainability happens through actions and not words.
01

In a certified sustainable process, recycled cardboard is broken up into small pieces and turned into a pulp.

02

This material serves as the base for furniture, objects and sculptural pieces.

03

All the artworks are molded by hand, dried in the sun and finished to perfection.

04

In this careful and labor-intensive process, the cardboard which originated as wood, essentially is brought back full cycle by taking on a wood-like quality again.

05

The beauty of Domingos Tótora's work not only manifests in the final product but in the process itself. From the designer's philosophy and respect for the environment to the location of the studio and the way the work is produced, all the way to the final product.

Work
I dialogue with the mass of cardboard until the moment that only it speaks. Then I let myself take until I finish the piece. I do not just design, I look for the emotion before even the function.

"The pieces present themselves as an invitation to tactile experimentation; they are made to be touched and attract not only the hands but the look and the thrill of pleasure."

Silvana Tótora
Vargedo Sculpture
Terras Altas Sculpture
Âmago series sculpture
Rio Acima Sculpture
Carapiá Sculpture
Abissal series sculpture
Abissal series sculpture
Rio Acima sculpture
Abissal series sculpture
Abissal series sculpture
Solo Bench
Taipa Wall Scultpture (Vertical)
Carbono Vases
Taipa Wall Sculpture (Large)
Sculptures
Estação Stools
Água Coffee Table
Âmago Sculptures
Taipa Bench
Terrão Wall Sculpture
Carbono Stools
Discs Wall Sculptures
Casca Lounge Chair
Carbono Bench
Solid Sculpture
Solo Bench
Leiras Lounge Chair
Esteio Bench
Tijuco Vases
Taipa Monochromatic Wall Sculpture
Domingos Tótora
Rua Darci Cardoso, 100
Maria da Fé, MG

[email protected]
BRAZIL
Sossego Brazilian Design
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, 1445
Chicago, IL 60654
[email protected]
USA
Sage Culture Art Gallery
905 E 2nd Street, Unit 117
Arts District, Los Angeles, CA 90012

[email protected]
USA
Gardeco
Gardeco Molendamstraat 12
8210 Zedelgem, Belgium

[email protected]
BELGIUM