Hugo França is a Brazilian artist and designer whose practice centers on transforming discarded tree trunks, roots, and fragments into sculptural works and functional objects. Working from his studio in Trancoso, França begins each project by carefully selecting raw wood based on its texture, organic form, and the marks shaped by time and nature.

His creative process is rooted in an ongoing dialogue with the material itself. Drawing directly onto the wood, França follows the natural paths, cracks, and curves formed by the tree, allowing nature to guide the final form. Through a reinterpreted use of the chainsaw, tree trunks and roots are sculpted rather than cut away, resulting in works that are both expressive and sustainable.

Blending craftsmanship, environmental awareness, and sculptural presence, França’s work celebrates the inherent beauty and life embedded within reclaimed natural materials.

1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

I was born in the extreme south of Brazil, in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

Art came to me through my brother, who studied fine arts and, very early on, became important in the art and technology field. Since I had an engineering background, I helped make his projects possible.

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field, and what led you to the design creation ?

No, I did many things previously unrelated to art/design. I started developing my work at the age of 40.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

I made many things with wood, and when I moved to Trancoso in southern Bahia, I learned a lot about the Atlantic Forest and the knowledge of the region’s Indigenous people (Pataxó). And I witnessed the predatory deforestation of one of the most important tropical forests on the planet. This led me to develop the concept of my design work.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

My creative process comes from observing the shapes of dead trees, these wooden structures that provide me with the path to create what I call sculptural furniture. My greatest inspirations were Zanine Caldas in design and Frans Krajcberg in sculpture.

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

My working day begins with observing the forest residue I have in my Atelier’s garden. Through this visualization of many organic forms, I find one that catches my eye that day. I take it to the Atelier and begin drawing with a crayon, the cuts that will be made with the chainsaw. From there, my production team begins working under my guidance and supervision.

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

I’ve always had a strong affinity with forests, trees, and wood. This led me to use this material as a creative support.

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

The greatest technical particularity of my production is the use of the chainsaw, which is a symbol of deforestation. I reinterpret it as the tool responsible for giving new life to forest residue.

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

The first step would be to find a work concept that gives them an identity.

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

The Brutalism.

11. What designers and artists have influenced you ?

The designer Zanine Caldas and the sculptor Franz Krajcberg, among other contemporary artists.

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

In Brazil, I think the Campana brothers have developed an extremely important work. Zaha Hadid, Iimari Tapiovaara, Max Lamb, Christophe Delcourt, John Makepeace.

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

Brazilians: Tunga, Amílcar de Castro, Sérgio Camargo, Frans Krajcberg, Túlio Pinto, Raul Mourão, Artur Lescher, Henrique Oliveira, among others.

And Internationals: Giuseppe Penone, Not Vital, Tadashi Kawamata, Aron Demetz, Eduardo Chillida, Constantin Brancusi.

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

A tribute to the Forests.

15. Is there anything you would like to add ?  

What interests me most in my work is bringing environmental education to future generations.

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)

11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

« Bicho » which translates as animal, but it’s like Dude when referring to people.

12. Which talent would you most like to have?

Literary.

13. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My age.

14. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

My recognition as an artist.

15. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

A cat.

16. Where would you most like to live?

Trancoso, Bahia.

17. What is your most treasured possession?

The gift of creating.

18. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Hunger.

19. What is your favorite occupation?

To create.

20. What is your most marked characteristic?

Punctuality.

21. What do you most value in your friends?

Transparency.

22. Who are your favorite writers?

Machado de Assis and Charles Bukowski.

23. Who is your hero of fiction?

I don’t have one.

24. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

My orisha, Exu.

25. Who are your heroes in real life?

I have no heroes.

26. What are your favorite names?

João Vitor (my son’s name).

27. What is it that you most dislike?

Ignorance.

28. What is your greatest regret?

Having smoked cigarettes.

29. How would you like to die?

At the time, I determined.

30. What is your motto?

Always Alert.