"Resilient Rise" Painting

Born in São Paulo (capital) in 1977, Rodrigo Barcena Mendes moved as a newborn to Vila Velha (ES), where he lived a rustic and impactful childhood in the mid-1980s, shaped by the freedom of life by the sea. In the second half of that same decade, he returned to the state capital, where he rediscovered his passion for drawing and painting. In the early 1990s, he entered the job market, building a solid career grounded in continuous learning. His education and interests spanned industrial mechanical drawing, agricultural engineering studies at FCA-UNESP/Botucatu—where he deepened his knowledge of chemistry, acidity, and organic fibers—and architecture and urbanism at Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, refining his mastery over applied geometry, volumetry, and spatial perception. Both university paths, though not formally completed due to the ups and downs that life imposes, were fundamental in consolidating his technical and scientific repertoire.

This robust multidisciplinary foundation expanded in the practical market through his work in the metallurgical sector, where he mastered the mechanical behavior of materials, tensions, and industrial fastenings, paving the way for a renowned and specialized career behind the scenes of Brazilian television. He began at TV Cultura as a scenography assistant and scenographer, where his major milestone was adapting theatrical productions for television in the iconic program series "TV Rá Tim Bum"—a work of immense institutional and artistic weight. The prominence of his work led to an invitation from TV Bandeirantes to format and coordinate a prop workshop, where he structured a solo department, responsible for the development and construction of all props, backstage scenery painting, and artistically painted costumes for the network.

Seeking greater autonomy and creative freedom, Rodrigo transitioned to independent contract work, expanding his technical signature across the industry. He worked as a prop maker for TV Record and, at the SBT network, stood out in the creation of Muppet-style puppets and the puppeteering of marionettes in children's soap operas. At Rede Globo, he consolidated his expertise by serving strictly in São Paulo as a Puppet Wrangler, while also crafting highly complex props and scenic objects directly for the network's unified Art Department. Today, in a consolidated creative partnership with his wife, he unites all this practical and multidisciplinary background in his studio.