World-class illustrator Roger Mello is bringing his exhibition and workshop to Espoo

Author: Sanna Uuksulainen 

At the start of the Teams interview with Roger Mello, it is morning in Brazil and afternoon in Finland. The illustrator at the other end of the line is looking forward to his first trip to Finland. He explains that the inspiration for many of his children’s books stems from Brazilian nature as well as international influences. Mello travels a lot for work, as his books are well known both in Latin America and further afield.

"I was born in Brasília, the capital of Brazil, in an era when many books were banned. I grew up in a family of book lovers, however, and the same restrictions did not apply to illustrations. This is how I learned to love book illustrations and comics at an early age," Mello describes the influence of his childhood on his career choice. 

While Brasília is today a large city, Mello says it was much smaller when he was a child. Despite this rapid development, Mello feels that city still has many untold stories.

"In addition to books I was influenced by my home city, whose nature is very different from that of the Amazon rainforests. The trees may be shorter but their roots are really long. Today, Brasília is a modern city where a lot of artistic influences are at play. But thanks to the embassies located in my home city, I got to know artists from different countries already in my childhood," Mello adds. 

Mello studied visual and industrial design and has illustrated more than 100 books, some of which he also wrote himself. They have brought Brazilian culture, folklore and nature to readers around the world in many languages. Brazil's exceptionally diverse flora and fauna are a common thread in Mello’s work. 

The artist has received international recognition extensively around the world. In 2014, Roger Mello made history as the first Latin American illustrator to receive the Hans Christian Andersen Award, which is one of the world's most prestigious recognitions for children’s and young people’s literature.

"The award changed my career. I am a nomad, and the international award brought me a great deal of attention. Hans Christian Andersen himself was also a keen traveller," Mello says.

The visual arts exhibition Diversidade Secreta - Secret diversity at the KellariGalleria of Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora on 18 September – 17 October will feature Roger Mello's illustrations from selected children's books as well as books illustrated based on the author's visual stories, including Kolibrí, Espinho de Arraia, Ossos do Ofício and Carvoeirinhos. Key themes of the works include childhood, identity, memory and nature. Admission to the exhibition will be free of charge. It will be open at 9:00–16:00 from Monday till Friday and at 10:00–13:00 on Saturdays.

Roger Mello will also host a workshop titled Secret diversity at Aurora between 11:00 and 13:00 on Saturday, 19 September. At this workshop, participants will create all kinds of characters, images, shapes and encounters inspired by ideas, secrets, stories and their own roots. The non-stop workshop will be held in English/Portuguese at Aurora's Art House (recommended age 4 years and up). Admission to the workshop will be free. 

Roger Mello also designed the visual image of the multicultural children’s festival Kolibrí Festivaali 2026. The festival is produced by Kulttuurikeskus Ninho ry, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary and has spent the past decade working towards a more diverse and multilingual children’s culture in Finland. 

Read more about the exhibition at Aurora and Roger Mello on the Kolibrí Festivaali’s website: 
Roger Mello's Visual Art Exhibition – Kolibrí Festivaali (external link, opens in a new window) 

Children's Cultural Centre Aurora
Järvenperäntie 1-3, 02940 Espoo
 

This exhibition is a Kulttuurikeskus Ninho ry(external link, opens in a new window) production and has been possible thanks to thanks support of Brazilian Embassy(external link, opens in a new window), Instituto Guimarães Rosa- Helsinque(external link, opens in a new window), Aurora Children Culture Center(external link, opens in a new window), Espoo City(external link, opens in a new window), Helsinki City(external link, opens in a new window), Taike(external link, opens in a new window), Svenska kulturfonden(external link, opens in a new window) and Brazilian in Finland ry.(external link, opens in a new window)