Biography

Caó Cruz Alves is a cartoonist, illustrator, animator and musician. He was born and lives in Salvador, capital of Bahia, Brazil. He started working professionally as an illustrator in the 1970s. His drawings have been included in exhibitions and festivals in Brazil and abroad. As an illustrator, his works have been published in books, newspapers and comics with regional, national and international distribution, such as: Folha de São Paulo, Jornal A Tarde, Revista Planeta, Mad, La Nouvelle Chair, Men Club, L’imbécile Heureux and Yomiuri Shinbun. He has also published in the Bahian comics Pau de Sebo, Esfera do Humor and La Tanaiura.

Les chanteurs du carnaval de Bahia (2015)

With Les chanteurs du carnaval de Bahia, Caó Cruz Alves shows how the artists are the big stars of the Salvador de Bahia Carnival, above the trio elétrico (trucks that carry a sound system and a show stage). Renowned musical artists have been caricatured by the artist Caó Cruz Alves, who presents them in an animation with their most famous songs. Bahia Carnival is recognised by Guinness as the largest street carnival in the world. The festival lasts seven days, usually between February and March. About two million people participate in the annual festivities, immersing themselves in music and dance. For sixteen hours a day, Bahian popular culture reaches its peak and the local and Salvadoran economy gets an unequivocal boost.

Singers such as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Batatinha, Riachão, Dodô and Osmar, Armandinho, Baby do Brasil, Bel Marques, Daniela Mercury, Carlinhos Brown, among others, are featured in the work.