Gui Silva – GINGA
True to the WhatsAppMan that I’ve become over here in São Paulo, when the opportunity arose to chat with Gui Silva for this piece, the choice of format decided itself: it would be a long series of voice notes, my new preferred means of communication, which (aside from salmon apericubes) also happens to be the most effective way to scare off fellow Europeans. Naturally, the good Brazilian homie immediately felt at ease.
If you’ve come to this interview for yet another conversation about pop, though, then I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. As far as preconceived notions about Brazil go, that one’s probably just as cliché as football, beaches, or Carnival at this point. Plus, the photos should cover that topic just fine. It also goes without saying that this beautiful nation is much more complex and layered than that, from how its huge mix of cultures seeps into every aspect of local creativity, from art to music and everything in between, to them having their own very unique outlook on life… And luckily for us, now and then, someone manages to capture a bit of all that on a skateboard! Then again, there are 34 million Silvas in Brazil. Statistically, it was almost inevitable that one of them would become one of the most interesting skaters of his generation.
Photography by Diego Sarmento
Interview by JP Villa
Yes Gui! How’s it going? Where are you right now?
I am in Italy for the first time, and I’m doing this interview while walking down the street.
What are you up to over there?
I’m just exploring a bit more of Europe and the surrounding areas, haha. No, we’re travelling with adidas. I’m not really allowed to talk about it too much, you know, but we’re here to film, take photos, and have a blast, haha!
Backside 180, Rio de Janeiro
You did the rounds as a kid with that clip of the backside 270 to noseslide on the ledge at the Berrics… I’ve had loads of people in Europe bring that one up. How did you manage to land yourself in Los Angeles all those years ago, and more importantly, at the Berrics!?
The story of that 270 noseslide started at Vale do Anhangabaú. I was with my filmer homie Bocão and Pedro [Biagio], and we started talking about this trick because we both have a pretty similar style of skating and had JB [Gillet] on our minds, so we just started trying it out. I landed on a few and realised it was doable. A few weeks later, I went back to Vale, Bocão hyped me up, and I landed one. The fact that that spot has the backrest/block made it a little bit less daunting.
And then as far as filming it at the Berrics goes… I’d always wanted to go to the US. In skateboarding, you always hear that you have to go there to make it. And when I was around 14, André Hiena (Editor’s note: legendary Brazilian pro that passed away in 2016) pushed me to get my visa, despite me having no idea how I was ever going to manage to go.
Years later, Túlio Oliveira from Skatenation (a skateboarding organisation that helps Brazilian skaters with visas and travel, etc.) called me to chat and simply told me I was going to the United States! My family, my sponsors… Everyone chipped in, and the trip finally happened!
We were there for 15 days, and on one of them, we went to the Berrics, and Eric Koston opened the door! It was nuts. And then yeah, I guess we were skating the park, filming stuff on the phone, and Túlio told me to try one of those because he’d heard I’d done it at Vale, and when we posted it went crazy! Like minutes after it was up, I saw that Guy Mariano had left a comment. I couldn’t believe it…
Fakie frontside bluntslide, Rio de Janeiro
The United States is still at the top of the list for a lot of skateboarders, travel-wise, but then sometimes the reality on the ground can be a little bit different to what was expected… How was that for you?
The first time I went to the United States, it was under pretty privileged circumstances because
I was with Túlio and the guys from Skatenation. They already knew everyone and could show me the spots and everything that goes with that. But it only lasted fifteen days, so I didn’t quite get the experience.
But then I was 23, in 2023, I was going through a rough patch in my life. I lost my grandmother, my family had to reorganise, my finances were tight, and I started to worry a lot about the future. At one point, I even wondered if I should study or work in a different field, because skateboarding wasn’t giving me the stability I needed… That’s when I decided to take the plunge. I scraped together some money, bought a ticket to New York, and left on my own.
Originally, I was supposed to just stay for a week with a friend, but I figured I’d stay as long as possible and just move around. My mate let me stay there much longer than planned, until the landlady got fed up. And on the very day I was starting to think I’d have to go back to Brazil because I had nowhere else to stay, I met someone else who also put me up for quite a while. After that, I bounced around between different houses until I ended up in LA with Diego Sarmento, who has always been incredibly helpful and supportive. I owe him so much! Especially because initially, I didn’t speak English well and I didn’t have much money… There were times I didn’t even have enough to eat. But then I worked in construction a bit, just to make ends meet. You know how it is; it was just the usual struggle that many skaters experience. And alongside all this, things were slowly starting to fall into place for me: adidas invited me on a tour, and I had a few clips in video edits… I ended up staying in the US for six months, and it was during that trip that everything changed. I learned English and got a better understanding of how things worked there.
The Free guys shared a draft of your new part, which they’ll be releasing alongside this interview, and the second song really stood out to me. Did you choose it? If so, what does it represent for you?
It’s great that you liked G. Yeah, I chose it, and for two reasons. The first is Alcione’s voice. It’s a voice that holds so many memories for me, you know? I’ve been hearing it since I was a kid, at family meals, churrascos, that kind of thing.
The second reason is that the song is about São Jorge. He’s a figure who has always held an important place for many people where I come from. And then there’s also the connection with the orisha Ogum, who is associated with São Jorge in Afro-Brazilian culture.
Gui, in Europe, many people most likely won’t have heard of the orishas and Afro-Brazilian religions. Can you give us a bit more context about this stuff?
Afro-Brazilian religions arrived in Brazil with the African people who were brought in during slavery. Over time, these beliefs blended with certain elements of Christianity, as well as with indigenous knowledge. That’s how religions like Umbanda and Candomblé were born. I think that also influenced my choice for this song, you know?
Part of my family is white, the other part is black, so I grew up with different references that naturally coexisted. Saint George is linked to the Christian tradition, but he’s also associated with Ogum in Afro-Brazilian religions. In a way, this blend is part of my family history; it shaped my worldview.
You’ve travelled quite a bit around Brazil. Is there a place that completely shatters the image many Europeans have of the country?
Honestly, I think any region of Brazil can shatter stereotypes, you know? You always come across people, places, or situations that are nothing like what you imagined. Brazil’s main characteristic is its diversity. It’s a huge country, with completely different realities coexisting in the same place.
Of course, some stereotypes exist because they’re based on a grain of truth. There’s a lot of inequality, many people live in difficult conditions, and some places lack infrastructure. This is also reflected in skateboarding: there are a lot of spots that are difficult to skate. But Brazil isn’t just that. There’s also a huge amount of creativity, culture, energy, and people who find solutions despite the difficulties – a gambiarra, a famosa Ginga!
Switch backside nosebluntslide, London
Few people know about the sertão (backcountry), which sometimes resembles a Western film set, or certain southern regions that are similar to Germany, a result of immigration, or others where cowboy culture is more deeply rooted than in Texas…
Exactly, you get it. There are also people who think that Brazil has never seen modern architecture, well-built buildings, or places where there has been real investment. Yet we have all that too. As you said, Brazil isn’t just the image of poverty that many people have in mind. That reality exists, of course, but it’s not all there is to it!
Your approach to skating comes across as being very relaxed… Is that actually the case?
That cracks me up because I know a lot of people have that image of me. But, honestly, those that really know me know that that isn’t exactly true… It’s just that the pressure I’m under comes from myself, so it’s a bit different. It’s all about the goals I’ve set for myself. For a long time, I worried too much about what others thought, and in skateboarding, it’s easy to fall into that trap with all the egos and comparing that inevitably come with it. But over time, I’ve met people who taught me the importance of taking care of myself, both physically and mentally. Today, I mainly try to focus on what matters to me: continuing to love skateboarding, drawing and painting, learning, and moving forward with my projects. As for the rest, I try not to worry too much about it.
You’re also very interested in art. What does it represent for you?
Art has always been a part of my life, you know. Ever since I was a kid, I loved to draw, paint, and make things. I think a lot of people do that when they’re children, but I kept going.
So, art has always been a way for me to express myself. It also led me to participate in a few projects with brands and to explore other things outside of skateboarding.
When skateboarding came into my life, art was already there. For me, the two have always gone hand in hand. I’ve never really separated them. Skateboarding is also a form of expression, you know?
I’ve been told I have to choose between art and skateboarding, but I’ve never seen it that way. On the contrary, I feel like they’ve fed off each other from the very beginning.
