'Nedzus Lykter' ('Lanterns of Nedzu', 2017).
Rui Tenreiro is a Sweden-based Mozambican multidisciplinary artist known for his work as an illustrator, writer, art director, filmmaker and strategist. As an illustrator, he has contributed to publications like The New Yorker, The New York Times and McSweeney's, and created artworks for Sweden’s National Museum. Both in his films and in his graphic novels, Rui Tenreiro has an emphasis on emotional resonance, multileveled storytelling and richly crafted worlds. Among his most notable comics are the experimental and mythology-inspired graphic novels 'The Celebration' (2008) and 'Lanterns of Nedzu' (2017), which have appeared in several languages.
Early life
Rui Tenreiro was born in 1979 in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. As he grew up, his country was in a Civil War, and it was very hard to find comics, music or cartoons. He did achieve some joy in drawing, sketching little scenes and characters during break-times at school. It wasn't until 1992 before things settled down, and all sorts of influences started to flow in as the country opened up. As an eleven year old boy, Tenreiro was introduced to Japanese anime, movie classics like 'A Clockwork Orange' and all sorts of entertainment. This fueled a large apetite for new things, which resulted in a widely varied professional career. For his inventive use of imagery, he has been inspired by Japanese art and design, as well as the grotesque figures from Edvard Munch's art.
'Museum' (2008).
Professional life
At the start of his career, Tenreiro went to South Africa, where he worked as an art director for the Leo Burnett advertising agency. Among his clients at the time were Levi's, Coke Light, McDonald's and FedEx. He subsequently studied Illustration in the UK, spent a couple of years in Norway (2003-2006), then returned to Mozambique, before moving to Sweden in 2008 for a Masters in Storytelling from the Konstfack University for Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. He graduated in 2010 with 'Museum', a 12-page comic book inspired by an Edvard Munch painting. Since then, Tenreiro has divided his time between Maputo and Stockholm.
Over the years, Tenreiro has worked as a freelance art director, illustrator, writer, publisher, puppet-maker, filmmaker, animator and comic creator. In addition, he has been a brand developer and stragegist for Swedish companies like Spoon Agency, People People People and Hyper Island. As a filmmaker, he has released several short films, including the triptych 'Journey to the Center of Capricorn' (2013). Among his other creative endeavours are textile design and pottery.
'The Celebration' (2008).
Comics and illustrations
As an illustrator, Tenreiro's art has appeared in international magazines like Dazed & Confused, Amelia's Magazine, Hot Rod Magazine, Adbusters Norway and Snitt, and in later years most notably in the American magazines The New Yorker, The New York Times and McSweeney's. One of his jobs in Norway was making about 20 illustrations for Tine Milk packs explaining the history of milk packaging and distribution (2006). Within the field of comics, Tenreiro has worked as an editor for African publications and comics journals, with a focus on Southern and Eastern African comic artists (Mozambique, Tanzania and South Africa). Between 2005 and 2011, he ran his own publishing imprint Soyfriends, through which he released his own comics, like the pantomime mini-comic 'Partie de Campagne' (2006), as well as work by other independent creators. Among the artists whose work appeared under the Soyfriends imprint were Luke Best, Nick Cortese, Daniel Jensen, Frankie Martin, Ron Regé, Jr., Kalle Runeson, Martin Skauen, Maja Sten and Magnus Voll Mathiassen.
Comic about the war in Syria (McSweeney's, July 2019).
While living in Sweden, Tenreiro has continued to release some comics through Norwegian publishers like Jippi Forlag, starting with his first graphic novel 'Trost' (2006), a semi-autobiographical tale in which the artist describes the experience of coming to Norway as an illustrator. This story was also released by La Pastèque in France under the title 'Le Merle'. In 2008, Jippi Forlag released Tenreiro's 'Høytiden' ('The Celebration', 2008), a dreamlike story inspired by Japanese mythology, about two wandering travelers, strange forest creatures and ancient celebrations. Subsequently, the book has appeared in Canada, France, Spain, Finland and the United States. In 2017, Tenreiro released his next graphic novel, 'Nedzus Lykter' ('Lanterns of Nedzu'), a story set in a parallel reality populated by mythical creatures who develop strong feelings for their human companions.
For the July 2019 issue of McSweeney's magazine, Rui Tenreiro created a 10-page comic story about the ongoing war in Syria.
'Celebration'.