![Mestre Didi, Sem título [Untitled], 1970s](https://static-assets.artlogic.net/w_800,h_800,c_limit,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto/artlogicstorage/tmdhl/images/view/7baed51a71230fc19ba77a44bda633c9j/l-appartement-artgallery-mestre-didi-sem-t-tulo-untitled-1970s.jpg)
Mestre Didi (Deoscóredes Maximiliano dos Santos; 1917, Salvador, Brazil – 2013, Salvador, Brazil) was a Brazilian artist, writer and religious leader whose work occupies a central position in the study and dissemination of Afro-Brazilian sacred art, particularly in relation to Yoruba-derived traditions. His practice is deeply rooted in the symbolic, philosophical and ritual systems of Candomblé, establishing a direct continuity between artistic production and religious knowledge.
From the 1960s onward, Mestre Didi developed a sculptural practice that gained recognition in both Brazilian and international contexts. He participated in exhibitions such as the 1st Bienal de Artes Plásticas da Bahia in Salvador in 1966 and took part in international cultural exchanges and exhibitions in countries including Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal. Over subsequent decades, his work was included in institutional exhibitions that contributed to the broader visibility of Afro-Brazilian art within contemporary international discourse.
His sculptures are characterised by the use of organic and symbolically significant materials such as wood, leather, straw, beads, cowrie shells and metal, assembled through techniques that evoke ritual objects associated with Yoruba and Afro-Brazilian religious practices. His formal vocabulary incorporates recurring elements including birds, serpents, staffs and ceremonial implements, which function as carriers of spiritual and ancestral meaning rather than purely representational forms. While often presented within contemporary art contexts, these works maintain a strong connection to their ritual origins, challenging distinctions between art object and sacred artefact.
In parallel with his sculptural work, Mestre Didi produced an important body of writings addressing Yoruba mythology, ethics and cosmology. His publications form an integral part of his practice, reinforcing the transmission and preservation of Afro-Brazilian religious knowledge through both visual and literary means.
His works are held in major Brazilian collections, including the Museu Afro Brasil and the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, among others. Mestre Didi died in Salvador in 2013. His work continues to be exhibited internationally and remains central to the recognition of Afro-Brazilian art as both a contemporary artistic practice and a continuation of ancestral knowledge systems.