Meet Cajuca, the artist with a psychedelic gaze full of imaginary worlds.
At Finally Rich we had the opportunity to share a chat with one of the visual creators who is currently making the most headway. His vision is personal, inspiring and has few limits. His name is Cajuca, he is Brazilian, and his interest focuses on creating imaginary worlds with visual aspects influenced by psychedelia, nature and, now also, meditation. His art leaves no one indifferent.
He also has an online shop where you can enjoy even more of his works. We won't keep you waiting and we'll start with the interview!
Cajuca, we are delighted to show your art and get to know you a little better. To begin with, we would like you to freely introduce yourself to our readers.
I'm Cajuca, born in Brazil, and I'm immersed in the world of digital art since 2015. My name is a play on words: "Caju" (cashew) and "Juca" (my nickname). I'm a big enthusiast of everything related to psychedelia, from science to art, and since 2012 I've been interested in psychedelic art. My journey as an artist started as a hobby and today it is my full time job. I love working with landscapes, adding intense colours and surreal patterns.
I consider that the first three years when I started to create I did it on the basis of intuition and improvisation. I had no intention behind my creations, everything was made and motivated by a desire to simply create. I have a degree in tourism (before I even thought of becoming an artist) and now I plan to study visual arts as a way to improve my work and understand properly what I am doing.
Your works have an overwhelming strength and a very personal aesthetic. Where do you find the inspiration to create your works and how would you define your style?
I find inspiration in different places and moments, but especially when I am in the middle of nature, when I listen to that amazing music, when I watch that crazy movie, and when I appreciate the work of my favourite artists. In general, I let my imagination flow and allow improvisation and intuition to take me where I need to go. I would consider my style as psychedelic, sometimes soft psychedelic, sometimes hard psychedelic. It depends on my mood.
What are the main elements that your works have in common?
Colours and landscapes. The use of bright, vibrant and intense colours is one of the main characteristics of my work. With colours I am interested in exploring the therapeutic power they represent in our lives. With landscapes I want to work with ideas of isolation, movement, introspection and silence. With these themes I want to convey an idea of "silent solitude", which I describe as a moment of joy, silence and tranquillity to move on.
"I was born and raised in the midst of nature, so bringing these elements into my work is a way of recreating my affective memories".
Some resources that recur in your work are the moon, trees and other elements of nature. Why? What is their meaning?
I love the moon and have a deep connection with nature. I thinkthe moon is the icing on the cake of my work and I think something is missing when I don't add any celestial bodies to my works. I was born and raised in the midst of nature, so bringing these elements into my work is a way of recreating my affective memories. For me,nature reminds me of silence and introspection, and this is what I try to bring into my creations.
After an extensive career full of such diverse works, is there any work that you have a special affection for in your career as a Cajuca?
That's a difficult question, considering that I have a special affection for many works. At the moment I would choose "Road Thoughts", it's a recent work and it's very special to me because it brings the idea of movement and isolation, some of my favourite themes to work with.
We have seen that you have taken the leap to other media in the dissemination of your art through the sale of prints, T-shirts, etc. Do you venture to tell us what your next steps as an artist will be?
I will be launching my limited edition holographic prints in July. Since I discovered them two years ago holographic prints have been a dream of mine, so I am very excited about this moment. In the near future I also intend to release my lenticular prints. I recently dropped my first NFT and I'm excited for what's next.
We are in the habit of asking our interviewees about their best and worst moments as an artist. Could you tell us about yours?
I think my best moment was realising that people liked what I was doing. This motivated me to keep creating and sharing my work. And it still motivates me today. On the other hand, my worst moment as an artist was realising that foreign companies were stealing my work and profiting from it without giving me money or credit.
"Be inspired by your favourite artists, but never imitate them. Find your style, but don't be in a hurry".
At Finally Rich we pay special attention to artists who are just starting out and trying to find their inspiration. What advice would you give to someone who wants to go into the world of digital art?
The first thing I would like to say is to follow your hearts. Be inspired by your favourite artists, but never imitate them. Find your style, but don't be in a hurry. The second thing is to be patient and not to create expectations. Create to create, don't create thinking about getting something in return. Just create and let things happen naturally. As a third tip, I would say invest your time in learning how those specific social networks work, especially their algorithm. Finally, know your audience and understand what they expect, and post consistently and regularly. All of these things helped me a lot and I hope they can help others as well.
Many people associate your works with the visual effects of psychedelics, it could be said that your name as an artist, Cajuca , is synonymous with psychedelia. What do you think about this?
I give people all the freedom to interpret my work as they wish, however, it is important to say that I have never intended to replicate the visual effects of psychedelics. I cannot deny that I have had several experiences with psychedelics in my life, so this is somehow reflected in my work and I often end up replicating the visual effects without any intention of doing so. I am still a psychedelics enthusiast, but I feel that I have left it behind, as every time I delve deeper into the practice of Vipassana meditation, I understand that this is the path for me. In fact, speaking of Vipassana, which is a meditation technique from the Theravada Buddhist tradition, I am very interested in Buddhist teachings and I am sure they are reflected more and more in my works.
From Finally Rich we are looking forward to seeing this artist who surprises us with each of his works grow even more. We will be very attentive to the new paths that Cajuca intends to explore and that, without a doubt, will make it possible for many more people to have access to his art. A personal view of the world around us, colourful and vibrant, that invites us to imagine, to move, but also to reflect in order to find ourselves. Thanks for the talk!
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