by Melissa Costa
- USA / Brazil -

Regina sings to loud Brazilian country music while her skillful hands turn old Santa Claus hats into dresses and pieces of beverage cans into ornaments. Immersed in nostalgia, Regina relives her difficult past, drawing inspiration from her life to create art.

“When I was fifteen days old my parents left me in an orphanage in Botafogo (Rio de Janeiro),” she recounts. At 12, she was adopted by a woman who mistreated her, and soon after, she ran away to escape the abuse.

by Melissa Costa
- USA / Brazil -

They pruned his moments
They impeded his destiny
His boyish smile was hidden many times
But hopes are renewing, like a new dawn each day
And he shall take care of the sprout
In order to give life flowers and fruit.
- Milton Nascimento, A Student’s Heart

I cannot remember how many times I slammed the door as a response to my anger and frustration during my teenage years. I was searching for the answer to the universal question: Who am I? During my adolescence, many of my friends faced the same problems. Some of them took the wrong path; unfortunately, I haven’t heard from them since.