The Fantastic And Colorful World Of Nikko Kali

(MENAFN- Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA)) São Paulo – Few adults can say they've fulfilled their childhood dreams. Visual artist Nikko Kali has achieved several of his, and at 68, he keeps making them come true. With over 40 years of career, he is beginning to be discovered in his own country while also gaining a market in the United Arab Emirates, where he already has clients. A painter and sculptor who has explored various styles and mediums, his works are especially notable for their expressive use of color and, today, also for incorporating precious stone pigments.

Having lived in France since the mid-1980s, when he moved to study Gemology in Paris (childhood dream number one: playing with precious stones), Kali has had his works exhibited in Japan, China, Italy, Spain, England, Portugal, Singapore, and France. And, of course, in Brazil. His current goal is to hold a solo exhibition in Dubai, where his own eyes-and those of the art world-have been turning.

Throughout his artistic career, Kalihas sold more than a hundred original works, including a piece purchased for EUR 100,000, now in Singapore-a value that symbolizes not only the prestige of his work but also the international reach of his art.“I've reached a point where I no longer set my own prices-the market does,” he says. His pieces typically take three to four months to complete.

Since the pandemic, Kali has maintained a studio in Praia Grande, on the coast of São Paulo, where he spends half the year creating. Like a migratory bird that thrives only in warmth, the artist enjoys both the European and Brazilian summers. The chosen location, on the beach, keeps him close to some family members while also near the capital.

Fly, paint, pray

A boy who grew up in the northern zone of São Paulo, Kali was very pragmatic when choosing a college major: economics.“It was the easiest way to get a job,” people told him, and he told himself the same. But the boy wanted to fly (childhood dream number two: to become a pilot).“I thought about this immense country and believed I would only get to know it if I flew a plane myself,” he recalls, excited. Enthusiasm, by the way, is one of his trademarks. In the end, the way to make this dream possible was to become a flight attendant, which became his profession for a while.

Expressive use of color is a hallmark of his works

When he moved to Paris to study, he found himself in the world. That was his place-the culture, the people, the language, everything just clicked! And he stayed. Moving meant selling a small apartment in São Paulo to fund his life and studies there. After graduating, he landed a job in high-end French jewelry and for years worked a 9-to-5, earning a good salary with weekends free to enjoy leisure.

However, the young man already carried a certain restlessness, beginning to sketch, mix colors, and experiment with his art (childhood dream number three: to become an artist! By the way, in his Praia Grande studio he keeps his very first painting, made in 1967). He started taking risks, exhibiting one piece here, another there, gradually appearing on the French art scene.“But it still wasn't enough to make a living,” he says. He is immensely grateful for the help he received from Cícero Dias, a major figure in Brazilian modernism who passed away in 2003 in Paris.“He was the one who motivated me to hold small exhibitions in city halls to start gaining visibility,” he recalls.

Nikko Kali in India in the 1990s: A trip that shaped his journey

The turning point came in 1994, when he held an exhibition at the Expo UNESCO at the agency's headquarters in Paris.“I sold four major works, then I made a decision: I resigned, saved money, and decided to dedicate myself entirely to art.” Recognition in Brazil came later, in 2009, when he received the Gold Medal from the Société Académique des Arts, Sciences et Lettres, awarded by the French Academy under the patronage of the President of France. Three years later, he was honored in Brazil with the Emperor's Grenadier Medal, presented by the 1st Guards Battalion of Rio de Janeiro.

On his fantastic and colorful journey, Kali had experiences that enrich his work, like the year he lived in India during the 1990s, which left a deep mark on the way he exists in the world. The spiritual lessons he received there stay with him to this day-in fact, the name Nikko Kali was born that Indian year, blessed by a local numerologist and by the Goddess Kali, the Hindu deity of transformation, whose temple was on the way to his home in New Delhi (he does not reveal his birth name).

And although he is only now entering the Emirati market, Nikko lived in Dubai back in 1995.“I'm simply fascinated by other cultures and by learning,” explains the artist, who has also lived in Vietnam.

Art for everyone

Of all the work he's done throughout his life, being an art educator for children was one of the most instructive.“Their view of art-pure, unshaped-is the best thing an artist can experience. They don't look for explanations; they create their own meanings,” he says. He no longer works with children, but he always seeks that perspective to free himself from empty or harsh criticism.

Despite the high cost of his works and the whole millionaire world of collectors, he champions making art accessible to everyone, placing it in public spaces, and encouraging children to visit museums from an early age. In 2024, he held an exhibition at the Palácio das Artes in Praia Grande, now his second home. As usual, Kali spent the first days wandering through the space, watching who came to see his works in the free exhibition. One day, he noticed a young man in flip-flops and a cap studying one of his paintings closely. Nikko approached and struck up a conversation. The young man, a homeless alcoholic, was fascinated by what he saw and described the painting to its creator as if he had painted it himself.“Without knowing anything about art, he revealed everything to me,” he says.

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* Report by Débora Rubin, in collaboration with ANBA

Translated by Guilherme Miranda

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