Photo credit: Andrea Faria/Arquivo Correio*
The Bahian plastic artist, icon of Salvadoran performance art, Jayme Figura, died on Sunday afternoon (26) at the age of 64.
There is no information yet about the cause of death. But according to artist Leonel Mattos, Jayme died at 1 p.m. after feeling ill in the early hours of Sunday morning. Three days ago, he went to an emergency room (UPA) with a headache. After investigations he was released. However, his wife noticed that he was swaying.
“The doctor said it was a neurological problem. I even spoke to a doctor friend to make a video call, but he fell ill that morning and died,” Leonel said.
For the last four months, Jayme has been working in Leonel Mattos’ studio. He received a commission from a gallery in São Paulo and New York to create 50 paintings for an exhibition.
“He was very happy to sell his works. He worked well because we had a lot of fun, I was playful and we always played while we worked,” the friend recalls.
Jayme Figura with her work in Leonel Mattos’ studio. Photo credit: Disclosure
For Leonel Mattos, Jayme Figura was a pioneer of performance art in Bahia. “He was an icon of Bahia. And he started painting more often lately. He was always complaining, emotionally he was a person who always felt a little tired. He was taking prescription medication. But he was fine and this happened. Surprise,” he lamented.
The visual artist Paulo Darzé also mourned the death of Jayme Figura. “It is a great loss for the art world. Fygura was a radical artist, ahead of his time, a highly revolutionary man. My greatest respect. We are very sad and shocked by the news,” he said.
His daughter Thais Darzé remembered the close relationship they had with the artist. “I am very sad. I had a very close relationship with Jayme. He would always visit me and call me his queen of the arts,” he recalled.
There is still no information about the artist’s wake and burial.
Jayme Figura defended her performance art and the value of her production with exuberant clarity. In addition to performing throughout the city, the artist dabbled in metal sculptures, paintings, written texts, and even rock bands. “They said, ‘Poor guy, great designer, he’s gone crazy, all torn up.'” I started wearing armor to protect myself because they were throwing rocks at me. But I was never crazy. It’s a way to show my anger,” he said in a 2017 interview with Correio.
The character took to the streets of Salvador in 1992, when the Collor plan disrupted the life of the then advertising designer, who identified with the punk movement. “I earned 15 salaries, my wife was pregnant with our second child. “He had a car, three savings accounts and whiskey under his arm,” he recalled at the time.
Although Fygura was a wellknown wanderer in Salvador, he enjoyed producing off the road, in his studio in Carmo, which he called Sarcópago.
Four years ago, he was run over on Avenida Carlos Gomes while celebrating the 2016 reelection of current mayor ACM Neto (DEM) whom he said he was a great admirer. The immediate result was broken ribs, which were never properly treated and prevented him from continuing to wear the armor with the same strength.