Raphael Escobar

São Paulo, Brazil, 1987.
Lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil.

Nominated for the PIPA Prize in 2020 and 2022, Raphael Escobar holds a degree in Visual Arts and is currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Brazilian Studies: society, education, and culture. Since 2008, he has worked with non-formal education in socially vulnerable and politically contested contexts, such as Fundação CASA, Cracolândia, and homeless shelters. He also co-founded several collectives and social movements in the Cracolândia region, combining artistic practice with activism.

These experiences are central to his research and frequently become part of the activation of his artworks. His practice investigates class relations and seeks to challenge the moral frameworks imposed on homeless populations, drug users, and peripheral communities.

Escobar employs institutions and artistic processes as tools for education and cultural mediation, bridging the gap between institutional art circuits and marginalized contexts. His strategies often include communication practices, solidarity economy, psychoactive substances, and actions drawn from invisible or marginalized everyday life.

Sources:
Photo: https://vozesdobairro.wordpress.com/2017/10/09/raphael-escobar-um-artista-de-direitos-humanos/
Text: Blombô research and curation, with the support of artificial intelligence for content writing and structuring.