The smile of Budii, the little mouse who teaches you to be what you want

Over ten years as a manager in some of the world's most important private banks then, for Thiago Rosinhole, everything changed and art entered his life. Influenced by pop culture and urban style, but above all by the city where he was born, São Paulo in Brazil, he started a new career as an artist. And he has not stopped since, even creating an iconic character, Budii, a kind of mouse who has conquered the world. Even the watch brand Bulova, with which Rosinhole created a special model for its 150th anniversary in 2025.

You went from a long management career in finance to being an artist: how did this change happen? Actually, I have always been an artist. At the age of seven I was customising my action figures, clothes, trainers and hats, making my mother despair... I've always felt the need to express myself and transform objects to represent my mood and state of mind. I joke with friends that it was not I who chose art as a profession, but she chose me.

Thiago Rosinhole, in posa con il suo personaggio iconico Budii.

When did you realise that art was becoming a real option? At some point those works I was making for myself as a hobby started to attract attention and I started to be invited to events and exhibitions in galleries all over the world.

Is there any aspect of your past profession that helped you once you became an artist? I believe that without the experience in financial markets, I would not be the professional I am. I use my art to connect people and sell ideas. Without market awareness, I would not be able to use art as a vector to tell stories.

What are your influences? Mine is an art that speaks to the inner child we all have. I take a bit from pop and urban culture, and from memories of what I have experienced to bring lightness and nostalgia to the surface. I was born and raised in São Paulo, one of the largest cities in the world and a world centre for graffiti. A cosmopolitan city that breathes art and culture, where everything is intense. A city that lives 24/7. I love urban art and graffiti and have been obsessed with comic and cartoon heroes since I was a child. I cannot name one artist who has influenced me the most, that would be unfair and each one is a product of an era. In visual art, my references range from Van Gogh, to Dali, to Picasso, and the Kobra murals of the 2000s.