My name is Oscar Arrais and I’m a multidisciplinary artist. My journey began with a childhood love for drawing and painting. From an early age, art was my refuge, a joyful, instinctive way of understanding the world. But like so many others, I eventually set those dreams aside in adulthood, pushed by societal expectations and the pressure to follow more "acceptable" careers. I took paths I thought I should take, rather than the one my heart truly longed for.

My first attempt was in Physical Education, which lasted a year before I realised it wasn’t my calling. I then ventured into IT Engineering and dedicated a couple of years to it, only to discover once again that it wasn’t where I belonged. Then something stirred within me, a quiet but certain pull towards Architecture. Unlike my previous studies, which were part of Brazil’s public education system, Architecture required me to enroll in a private university. Impatient to begin, I took a leap and accepted government financial support to pursue this dream.

I quickly fell in love with the discipline. Architecture felt right. It expanded my mind and gave me a vision for the future. I had no idea it would also be the catalyst that would take me further than I ever imagined, across the world, in fact, to Australia. At 23, I left my home country for the very first time, arriving in Adelaide, South Australia, on a scholarship granted by my academic performance. What started as an educational opportunity soon became a whole new life. Years later, I proudly became an Australian citizen.

Shortly after gaining citizenship, I began working as a design consultant in the furniture industry. Around that time, without realising it, I began the first chapter of my journey with textiles. Drawn to the beauty of discarded materials, I started collecting fabric offcuts destined for landfill from the showroom floor. I was captivated by their colours, textures, and hidden potential.

But my true transformation began when my personal world collapsed. A painful breakup, leaving my job, and a deep sense of dissatisfaction forced me to re-evaluate everything. In the face of that emotional upheaval, I made a radical decision: to change my life from the inside out. I turned inward through meditation, breathwork, yoga, and started reading voraciously. Most importantly, I returned to painting, and something clicked. I saw with absolute clarity: I was meant to be an artist. From that moment on, I made it my mission to follow that calling with purpose and determination.

To support myself, I found a new job, one that, by fate or design, once again placed me near discarded textiles, leathers, and other materials. Gradually, I put down my paintbrushes and began experimenting with fabric-based collages. Scraps turned into art. Fragments turned into energy fields. From waste came beauty, and a new artistic language was born.

Less than a year into this textile journey, my heart is full of gratitude for everyone who has supported my path, those who have gifted me scraps and shared in my creative vision. Today, I stand at the beginning of a new chapter, honouring the voice of the inner child I once silenced. That child, now understood as my higher self—speaks louder than ever, urging me on with the words: Keep on dreaming.

Recycling, reusing, and repurposing aren’t just techniques, they’ve become the emotional and philosophical foundation of my work. Through them, I’m not only shaping my art, but also discovering who I truly am. And this, I know, is only the beginning.