TROPICAL SURREAL
A.K.A Tropicalia (Amsterdam) and Studio Amargo (Rotterdam) have joined forces to create an artistic project that vibrates with the colors, shapes, and rhythms of Latin America. This collaboration between Lua (Brazil) and Laura (Mexico) celebrates ancestral energy, tropical spirit, and the joy of music and festivity that connects our cultures.
Through hand-printed T-shirts and graphic artworks, we translate the tropical vibe into a surrealist visual language — merging abstraction, folk influences, musical symbols, and vibrant forms rooted in our heritage. Each piece is a visual manifesto, an explosion of color and movement that invites the body to dance and the soul to rejoice.
This project brings the tropical spirit — wild, joyful, and rebellious — to the streets of Europe as a form of cultural resistance and creative expression.
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Laura
Laura holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from AKV St. Joost in 's-Hertogenbosch. During her studies, she discovered screen printing and began incorporating it into her work, which helped her develop a distinctive style. Over the years, she has participated in numerous exhibitions and creative projects. In addition to her artistic practice, Laura works as a graphic designer. She also conducts creative workshops, primarily focusing on screen printing.She continues to develop her personal work under the name Studio Amargo.
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Lua
Lua is a designer from Rio de Janeiro whose global work blends tradition and modernity. She’s collaborated on music videos for artists like Anitta and Emis Killa and co-directed branding at Svetlana, earning a Vogue EcoEra Award in 2016 for sustainability. Now based in Amsterdam, Lua draws on her family’s craft legacy and art history background. Her work has featured at Dutch Design Week and is sold in museum stores including the Museum of Latin American Art (LA), Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, and Fundació Joan Miró. She’s also a member of PIN, Portugal’s Contemporary Jewellery Association.
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