Geoffrey Stapleton

The first time I toured Brazil in 1995, I couldn’t get over the beautiful black and white (and occasionally red) tiled footpaths, and they’re everywhere. The patterns and designs are sublime and they have an energy and rhythm like everything else in Brazil. I also became obsessed with collecting these little clay figures after discovering, in the northern city of Recife, the yellow one with black spots and white head I called “Alligator Man” and based a whole exhibition around in 1998 at the "Mary Place Gallery" in Paddington, Sydney.