Marcelo Conceição first worked as a handler at fairs, a mason, and a street vendor. After a personal tragedy in the early 2010s, he became homeless. Refusing to give up, he describes himself as an “urban garimpeiro,” that is, an urban prospector (the term garimpeiro literally translates as gold prospector). Gradually, he began collecting debris he found in the streets and in trash bins, which he assembled to create talismanic, mysterious, and airy structures. At first, he sold them in an improvised way, and people then began to regard him as an artist—a label he rejects: “A poor person, homeless, often without a daily meal, cannot be considered as such,” he explains. Today, his work is presented in numerous exhibitions and prestigious institutions, such as the Museu Janete Costa, the Fundação Getúlio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro, and the Museu do Pontal.