Telma Cavalieri Victorio

In ‘Enchantments’, Ana Crís Wey draws upon narratives, images, and characters rooted in Indigenous and Amazonian traditions to craft her own fictional world—one where the familiar is transformed, revealing new layers and returning to the reader with a sense of freshness. The aim is not to explain origins or cement specific versions of tales, but to enter the living territory of oral storytelling: a realm where a flower might bloom from a star, a serpent might carry worlds, a mermaid might guard the memory of the waters, and a whistle might alter the destiny of a traveler crossing the forest. A Brazilian living in Thailand for years, Ana Crís Wey seems to write from that very distance—not as a detached observer of her homeland, but as someone striving to keep alive an intimate dialogue with its landscapes, enchanted beings, waters, forests, fears, and wonders. Ranging from luminous tales to others touched by shadows, loss, desire, or mischief, Encantamentos offers the reader an experience of imagination in motion—after all, some stories remain alive precisely because they never cease to transform. Telma Cavalieri Victorio’s illustrations expand this universe, composing scenes where forest, water, body, and dream seem to be made of the same enchanted substance. A book to be read with delight, curiosity, and close attention. Encantamentos celebrates the power of stories that are born anew whenever someone is willing to listen to them once more. Rita Demarchi & Katia C.

Telma Cavalieri Victorio:
Sloanea massonii
2022, coloured pencil on paper. Courtesy of the artist.
The species is named after Hans Sloane, the founder of the British Museum in London, whose wealth mostly derived from slavery. The illustrator purposefully discounts the namesake placement within the Latin name and instead interprets the plant’s characteristics based on the literal meanings of Sloanea (Gaelic) and massonii (Latin). Sloane is a name found both in Scotland and Ireland, which means “raider” and massoni, which means “mason”. Following the methodology of ancient herbologists, who looked to the natural environment to define plants and their respective properties, such as cold, hot, dry or humid, the illustration positions the plant as one with a strong base, capable of taking root in the rocks of the great Scottish cliffs facing
the sea. The plant’s large and succulent leaves, thorns, and delicate flowers of contrasting colours make it able to survive strong winds and still attract pollinating agents.
Telma Cavalieri Victorio holds an MA in Scientific Digital Documentation of Artistic Heritage, Universidade Federal da Bahia - Brazil. She participates in education programmes related to reforestation and afroecology at the Matutu Nature Reserve in Serra da Mantiqueira (Minas Gerais - Brazil). Since 2020 she is a student of Botanical Illustration at Kew Gardens, London, UK.