Hugo Canuto was born June 11, 1986 in Salvador, State of Bahia, Brazil. The 33 year old is a visual artist, illustrator, and architect. Hugo graduated in Architecture from the Federal University of Bahia. His work expresses the relationship of art, religion, tradition, and myth. Although, there is not much about Canuto’s background, his artwork takes front and center stage. Hugo created an exhilarating comic book called Contos Dos Orixás (Tales of the Orishas) inspired by the legends of Yoruba and Nago. 

 

Being a longtime fan of Jack Kirby, Canuto recreated the Avengers 4, 1966 cover for Kirby's 99th birthday. His work exploded and many African Americans wanted to see the characters he created in a comic book. Unfortunately, Canuto said that Brazil is a very racist society even having 70 - 100 skin tones. There was a comparison that Canuto's reinterpreted Thor character, Shango, is the devil and Thor being a hero. This urged him to create African American characters as kings, warriors, wizards, sorcerers, and gods.

 

Back in 2013 Canuto has always wanted to develop a work that addresses the African culture. He had come to a realization that despite living in the country that received the most African Americans in the diaspora, it is still underestimated under prejudice. Canuto believes it is necessary to understand their identity in unity rescuing this heritage for the new generations to come. The graphic novel emphasized on the legacy of African American civilizations, Yoruba, that shaped his homeland, Bahia. Hugo studied people in Salvador and Cachoeira that galvanized the composition of the characters in the comic book series. Originally the graphic novel was 60 pages, but Canuto wanted to deepen and expand the content about the Yoruba language and culture, finalizing with 120 pages to tell the story.

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Hugo Canuto's artwork consists of 120 colorful pages and high quality finish. His art is full of expressiveness and a strong narrative with the mythical heritage of African ancestry. He has a big focus on culture.