---
title: "Strange Original Reed (2005), Chico da Silva by Babá, painting"
description: "Strange Original Reed (2005), Chico da Silva by Babá. Acrylic on canvas, 74 x 110 cm. Painting in the João Cunha Collection."
canonical: https://chicodasilva.org/en/paintings/strange-original-reed-2005-058/
lang: en
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
translations:
  en: https://chicodasilva.org/en/paintings/strange-original-reed-2005-058/
  es: https://chicodasilva.org/es/pinturas/cana-original-extrana-2005-058/
  fr: https://chicodasilva.org/fr/peintures/roseau-original-etrange-2005-058/
  pt: https://chicodasilva.org/pt/pinturas/estranho-canico-original-2005-058/
  ar: https://chicodasilva.org/ar/%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AA/%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A8-%D8%A3%D8%B5%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%BA%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A8-2005-058/
  zh-Hans: https://chicodasilva.cn/%E4%BD%9C%E5%93%81/%E5%A5%87%E5%BC%82%E5%8E%9F%E5%88%9D%E8%8A%A6%E8%8B%87-2005-058/
---

# Strange Original Reed

![A large open-mouthed fish swallowing smaller fish, with long-beaked birds diving above on a yellow ground. Strange Original Reed, Chico da Silva by Babá, 2005, acrylic on canvas.](https://img.chicodasilva.org/jcc-058/chico-da-silva-by-baba-strange-original-reed-2005-acrylic-on-canvas-74x110cm-joao-cunha-collection-jcc-058-chicodasilva.org-640.jpg)

[Download image](https://img.chicodasilva.org/jcc-058/chico-da-silva-by-baba-strange-original-reed-2005-acrylic-on-canvas-74x110cm-joao-cunha-collection-jcc-058-chicodasilva.org-3200.jpg)

Description for blind and low-vision visitors

A horizontal painting centered on a large fish or sea creature whose orange and blue body curves across the middle, its wide toothed mouth open at the left to engulf a stream of small colorful fish. The body is patterned with rows of round shell-like motifs in pastel colors and a spiral marks its head. A long orange tail with a flower-tipped plume sweeps up to the upper right. Across the top, a row of long-beaked birds with red, blue and orange wings dive toward the fish against a deep yellow sky. The lower half is a pale blue and white water field scattered with small red, green and yellow fish swimming toward the lower left. A signature in dark letters appears at the lower right.

- **Artist:** [Chico da Silva by Babá](https://chicodasilva.org/en/biography/)
- **Year:** 2005
- **Technique:** Acrylic on canvas
- **Support:** Canvas
- **Dimensions:** 74 x 110 cm
- **Collection:** [João Cunha Collection](https://chicodasilva.org/en/about/)
- **Signature:** CHICO DA SILVA / POR BABÁ, lower right
- **Photo:** Eric Keki
- **Inventory no.:** [JCC-058](https://chicodasilva.org/id/jcc-058)
- **Article:** [The Pirambu School](https://chicodasilva.org/en/pirambu-school/)

## The signature

![Detail of the painted signature: «CHICO DA SILVA / POR BABÁ»](https://img.chicodasilva.org/signatures/baba-signature-2005-jcc-058-chicodasilva.org-640.jpg)

*The canvas is signed “CHICO DA SILVA / POR BABÁ”, in the lower right corner.*

## Provenance

1.  The artist, Fortaleza, 2005
2.  Instituto Cultural Oboé, Fortaleza
3.  Leilão Montenegro, auction, 2025
4.  João Cunha Collection

## How to credit

[Photographs free to reuse, with credit (CC BY 4.0)](https://chicodasilva.org/en/about/#license)

Chico da Silva by Babá, “Strange Original Reed” (2005). Photo: Eric Keki, João Cunha Collection, CC BY 4.0. https://chicodasilva.org/id/jcc-058

The license covers the photograph, not the painting.

## For IIIF viewers

-   [IIIF manifest](https://chicodasilva.org/iiif/jcc-058/manifest.json)