Paulo P. Lima, Ph.D. - Biography
Costume designer Paulo P. Lima began designing clothing in 1986 after receiving a fashion design certificate from SENAC, an vocational institution in São Paulo, Brazil. The certificate was the catalyst for creativity for Paulo to begin creating unique fashion design for local stores and private customers.
Paulo received a bachelor's degree in geography from the Department of Philosophy, Letters of Arts and Humanities at Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil in 1991. It wasn’t until 2002, when Paulo was recruited to design costumes for a local play in his hometown of São Paulo, that he reconnected with his creative passion.
After designing costumes for Gota D’Agua, a Brazilian play by Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Paulo moved to the United States to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater arts at California State University, Long Beach. Through his educational career, Paulo designed costumes for national and international plays including, The Producers, Midsummer Night’s Dream, 445 – Shakespeare’s Henry and The Saint Plays. It was during the development of costumes for The Saint Plays that Paulo discovered a new outlet for creativity.
The inspiration for his new artistic outlet comes from the Brazilian Baroque art tradition of “Santos de Roca” from the 18th and 19th centuries. These were wooden figurines dressed as saints. As articulated religious figurines, they were beautifully dressed to be displayed in churches and carried during religious processions. Paulo fell in love with the idea of dressing vintage reproductions of Santos with a contemporary and secular look. Using handcrafted felts, hand-dyed silk, found objects, jewelry and recycled materials (paper, dried leaves, wool, and plastic) Paulo adds texture and color to his creations. The different colors, shapes and textures of each material allow him to design figurines that represent the diverse Brazilian culture and explore boundless creative opportunities.
In 2009, Paulo created his first collection of eight figurines which included: Four Seasons, Hosanna, Mystic Scent, Rose, Rustic Nature, Saudade and Sublime. Since then, Paulo has designed five additional collections and a total of 85 figurines. He unveiled his third collection, Dreams and Revelations, at the Brazilian Consulate Gallery in Los Angeles, in 2010. The collection included nine figurines and 14-framed photographs.
Paulo received his doctoral degree in theater and performance studies at the University of California, Los Angeles studying garments from the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé, in June 2014. His dissertation, Candomblé and Its Living Garments, touches upon issues of “race,” gender and class in the use of dress for religious and secular performances in São Paulo and Salvador, Bahia.
In December 2014, Paulo will be featured in the exhibition: AfroBrasil: Art and Identities at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The exhibition will display artwork of various Brazilian artists interested in the dialogue between Afro-Brazilian culture and art.