Directarts International #02 by Direct Arts

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DIRECTARTS editorial

FROM THE EDITOR To be or not to be, that is the question; Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them.

take the liberty of adapting Shakespeare’s graceful words to reflect upon the precarious nature of today’s world, the attitudes of the unstable economic markets in it and in this moment, an oasis from the sea of troubles: this publication. As creative people we tend to see ourselves outside or beyond the financial markets and their politics. We tend to ignore them, which is more often than not a symptom of simply not understanding them. Our mission, we say to ourselves and each other is to stay true to developing ideas that will influence the aesthetic vision of our world. And it is true. But we’re not separate from that world – we’re part of it. And at times like this, staying true to our mission, while embracing the change that’s heading at us at full speed, means our creative energy, exploration and expression is needed more than ever. That is why Directarts International exists. So, “To be or not to be?” Our answer…“To be” – emphatically to be. Directarts International is a celebration of that Portuguese creative energy and expression. A showcase of what we want to see and what we need to see. Yes, the economy is slow; there is little money, everyone is nervous about tomorrow. Our mission is to push through to the light – push the boundaries of creative expression – make people question their aesthetic, explore it, and bring us to a new understanding of the world – artistically definitely, moneywise perhaps. Directarts International will turn these “slings and arrows” into the fuel of artistic expression. We, as artists, must “take up arms” and reach into our source of inspiration and find the colour in the space around us, on the canvas, or the computer screen. Art never stops. Not for war, not for economic downturns, not for outrageous fortune. All it takes is one positive thought, idea, or action to capture our collective imagination and defeat misfortune. At Directarts International we are trying to do just that. In this our second issue, our Features Editor Catarina Vilar interviews and showcases the fan-

tastical world of Joana Vasconcelos from the Palace of Versailles. We also take you on the cosmic journey of painter and multimedia media artist Daniela Ribeiro, we explore the x-ray like disintegrations of Pedro Baptista’s canvases and introduce the delicately sublime illustrations of Liliana Lourenço. Keeping with our running retrospective of the Masters section, we feature surrealist artist Cruseiro Seixas by art critic Maria João Fernandes. These special artists among the other great talents that we proudly bring to you in this issue are proof of the creativity and optimism that highlight this part of the world. It won’t be the politicians and economists alone who will forge the way out of this depression; they can take care of the politics and the money – we’ll bring the creative energy – each of us. We hope you find that energy in this issue. It was made by us, for us, with us in mind. Please keep the creative faith. Carlos Duarte

COVER: Joana Vasconcelos – Slalom, 2011 – Handmade woollen crochet, ornaments and polyester, on canvas, 193 x 125 x 50 cm Caldic Collection, Rotterdam. The method of Joana Vasconcelo’s creative process is based on the appropriation, decontextualisation and subversion of pre-existent objects and everyday realities and bringing them to overwhelming life. Joana Vasconcelos is featured in our Interview section on page 48.

COMMONPLACES BY JOÃO

NOUTEL

SEPTEMBER 2012

Ìlhavo - Portugal E-mail: nunosacramento@nunosacramento.com.pt wwww.nunosacramento.com

DIRECTARTS contents

CONTENTS THE M A STERS 10 Cruzeiro Seixas – The Painter and the Sphinx

PORT FOLIO 24 Pedro Baptista – Canvases and Emotions 32 Daniela Ribeiro – The Bionic Artist 40 Pedro Pires – Breaking the Boundaries of the Body

IN TERVIEW 48 Joana Vasconcelos – At the court of Versailles

EXHIBITION 60 Contextil – Textiles in Artistic Creation

SHOWCA SE 18 Art in Park – A democratic dialogue 76 Storytailors – A Tale of Enchantment

A RTICLE 64 Gonçalo Barreiros – Redemption of the Awkward

CA MER A 68 Frederico Martins – In the Glare of the Flash

A PPLIED A RTS

82 Liliana Lourenço – A Film without a Script 88 Toni Grilo – The Fluidity of Forms

NEW TA LENTS 94 Tamara Alves 98 Ana Abrantes

DIRECTARTS credits

Director Carlos Duarte carlosduarte@directartsonline.com

Editorial Director Raquel Vilhena raquelvilhena@directartsonline.com

Production Manager Graça Romano gromano@directartsonline.com

Features Editor Catarina Vilar catarinavilar@hotmail.com

Contributing Editors Rita Ferrão Maria João Fernandes Graphic Design Director Carla Tavares ct.editorialdesign@gmail.com

Production Assistant Maggie Brett info@directartsonline.com

Translations: www.kennistranslations.com

editorial policy Directarts is an information medium aimed at a public linked to the arts, be they professionals in the field or merely interested in the arts. Directarts is a quarterly magazine guided by the ethical principles of rigour and editorial creativity, free of any ideological, political or economic influences. Directarts respects the constitutional rights and duties of freedom of expression and information. Directarts is committed to providing information of interest to the arts community as a whole, exploring an array of areas within the arts, meeting the expectations of a diverse audience. Directarts complies with the press law and the editorial policy guidelines defined by its management. Directarts applies journalistic ethical principles of accuracy and impartiality in order to respect all opinions and belief. Directarts is solely liable before its readers, in a rigorous and transparent relationship, free from political or private interests and/or influences. Directarts values each journalistic piece based exclusively on its artistic merits, and not its possible political, social or economic impact. Directarts follows ethical principles of journalistic rigour, impartiality, honesty and respect for all the artwork and artists it divulges.

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DIRECTARTS the masters

the painter and the sphinx the secret universe of

Cruzeiro Seixas 10

DIRECTARTS the masters

«(...) without poetry there is no reality» Artur Cruzeiro Seixas

«(...) when the essence of something is so secret, it should never be completely revealed.» José Pierre – “La Maison de Cruzeiro Seixas”

article by art critic M aria João Fernandes

urrealism, the movement founded by André Breton in 1924 (the year in which the Surrealist Manifesto was published) took hold in Portugal in 1940 and, in its embrace of the unconscious, represented one of the defining revolutions of the twentieth-century vanguards. Its historical impact and consecration as one of modern art’s great innovations did not lead to institutionalisation, nor to a loss of the vitality derived from an infinite resource which from the primitives, to Bosch, Brueghel, the romantics and the symbolists has fed creativity and imagination throughout history to the present day. Surrealism is above all a timeless attitude, revived by the movement’s adherents: an expression of the rejection of the limits of reason and everyday reality and a belief in the unknown, in the mystery which Einstein saw as offering the potential for the most beautiful discoveries. In his take on this idea, Cruzeiro Seixas, Portugal’s foremost surrealist artist, stated: ‘What I see in surrealist painting (to use some very hastily chosen words), is not the uncommon or the fantastic, but the image of something I do not recognise and which awaits meaning, or which defies interpretation (...)’. This is the mystery that inspires all human knowledge and the work of great modern artists, particularly the surrealists who were the greatest conscious advocates of its role and its importance. Surrealism inaugurated the reign of ‘absolute insight’*, of the openness of the spirit to revelations of the marvellous, in a quest for the harmony and unity of consciousness lost with the mythical consciousness which characterised primitive stages of human evolution. Poetry and myth share common roots, both result from a totality, the undivided consciousness of man in harmony with his Cosmos, and it is to this that they aspire. Cruzeiro Seixas has always been, fundamentally, a poet, perhaps

most eloquently expressed through his publication of two outstanding books – one in Porto in September 2000, titled O que a Luz Oculta (What Light Hides) and in 2001 in Lisbon, Viagem sem Regresso (Journey of no Return) a limited edition – in which poetic and visual registers come together as one creative discourse. Likewise, in the magnificent CPS (Center of Portuguese SilkSreening) edition of his work, published in 2001 with the title: Local Onde o Mar Naufragou (Where the Sea Drowned), these two registers – visual and literary – are in dialogue. Poetic and philosophical aphorisms from famous writers and, above all, painters and from Cruzeiro Seixas himself, who thus offers us a truly surrealist construction, using an apparently unstructured approach to compile the passing of days, his thoughts and those of others within a music exercise book. A philosophy that brings together disparate threads of rigorous logic and of the absurd, of the reason that presides over the secret order of the universe and the most fantastic dreams, of melancholy and the sublime happiness that glows at the heart of life, of irony and absolute suffering, of sweetness and the intensity of one who loves reality and defends its magic. And dominating each opposition the god of chance which was Duchamp’s contribution to modern art, revealing the realm of metamorphosis in the counterpoint to light and shade, day and night, those great metaphors for the conscious and the unconscious. Painting represents the essential counterpoint to the word, both of them

PREVIOUS Untitled, 2011 – serigraphy on canvas, 84 x 59 cm OPPOSITE TOP LEFT Feinting the Hour, 1990 – gouache on paper, 41 x 36 cm OPPOSITE TOP RIGHT Untitled – gouache on paper, 17 x 22 cm OPPOSITE BOTTOM There’s the Petrified Journey, 2009 – mix medium, 59 x 69,5 cm

DIRECTARTS the masters

variations on the same approach to knowledge. The word pauses just where the seduction of the image begins, where silence is the only expression of the mystery that stokes creativity, a creative mechanism that characterises the grammar of its creator. The images which the unconscious’s vast ocean of marvellous coincidences reveals to the conscious, appear simultaneously in the poetry and painting of Cruzeiro Seixas. His visual oeuvre which we can now contemplate in its entirety, and which includes painting, drawing, objects, collage, sculptural projects and sculpture, reveals to us a theme, also present in his poetry, capable of providing insight into the surrealist aesthetic. This is the expression in his discourse of a cryptic logic which guards its own enigmas, hidden even from the artist himself, In this logic, in this grammar, we can see the construction of the great archetypes which structure the realm of the imaginary. The guiding principle behind his poetry is not, in fact, an ‘incomprehensible language’ or words that are fatally and ‘mortally confused’, in the words of Artaud and Herberto Helder. This is not voluntary chaos or a undecipherable and experimental labyrinth, though this indeed also characterises Cruzeiro Seixas’

work, like all surrealism, but the tentative, incredibly perfect and formally precise tracing of the major coordinates of the realm of the imaginary (and its symbols) which are also the basis of great myths. What presides are distinct outlines, the antithesis of light and shade, metamorphoses, nocturnal fear of all-consuming time and of death, delight in the light that liberates the precariousness of forms and night as an intimate and harmonious atmosphere which reflects the love and creativity at the heart of nature. In Cruzeiro Seixas’ painting, as in his poetry, these registers combine at the centre of a fascinating and dazzling kaleidoscope of images in which, between the dreamlike lucidity and the lucid dream, one must hunt for Ariadne’s thread, which will lead to the key to secret knowledge, the ‘Ultimate Science’ (Herberto Helder) which is always within poetry and visual poetry.

ABOVE Untitled, 1997 – India ink on paper, 50 x 40 cm OPPOSITE TOP LEFT Untitled, 2003 – bronze, 205 x 40 x 80 cm OPPOSITE TOP RIGHT Untitled, 2000 – bronze, 175 x 75 x 35 cm OPPOSITE BOTTOM God, Hermit and a Vagabond, 1975 – mix medium, 22 x 32,5 cm

DIRECTARTS the masters

BELOW RIGHT Untitled, 1960 – collage on paper, 50 x 57,5 cm BELOW LEFT Random Logic, 2005 – serigraphy, 68 x 78 cm BOTTOM Untitled, 1998 – gouache on paper, 26 x 36 cm OPPOSITE PAGE Untitled, 1991 – mix medium, 35 x 50 cm

In Cruzeiro Seixas’ painting we are dazzled by the spectacle of a world in eternal metamorphosis, which is not a reflection of the reality we know, but its unknown other side, like a symbiosis in motion which encompasses all worlds and their creatures and in which nothing ever seems to have a definitive form. It is a world subject to the indomitable and all-consuming flux of time, with feasts and celebrations which are manifestations of a writing/ painting of initiation, flowing in an opulent stream of images, the glow of a truth and knowledge that cannot be formulated, which must be felt, or seen, but never spoken. Strange, hybrid animate/inanimate figures, in a merging of animal, human, mineral and aquatic kingdoms, fantastical shipwrecks and the marvellous, people ambiguously in conflict or in harmonious fusion, studying the rules of the game, rejecting them. And night and day lovingly united, the stars shining like suns, the sun illuminating and fracturing the night, the realm of Eros, of an alchemic union in which it is nonetheless possible to glimpse clarity, the light emanating from the components of a rationality returned to the foundations of the imaginary realm. The – new – key to the oneiric language of Cruzeiro Seixas, or the great painter-poets of surrealism, Ernst, Miró, Delvaux and Magritte can be found. It lies within a common patrimony of dreams and universal archetypes, but we cannot use it to unlock the doors of mystery and confront these great creations face-on.

Or, rather, we can but in the way that Oedipus faced the Sphinx, or as the poet always faces it, enjoying, yet respecting, the secret that can be intuited. This key is hidden and protected in the apparently inextricable labyrinth of the poetic and painted images of Cruzeiro Seixas, anticipating the synthesis desired and proclaimed by the surrealists in which great oppositions are united, part of the same, unique mystery whose ultimate refuge we cannot enter, as in the myth. The painter poet questions the Sphinx, who smiles enigmatically at his and our confusion. The answer, the great answers, are in ourselves. The journey, the Odyssey, must be intimate and embarked on again by each of us alone, throughout history. Cruzeiro Seixas takes us with him, once more, on his great journey, on his quest for knowledge. It is just beginning, it belongs to us now, created by the enigmatic and marvellous words and images which he has dedicated to us, a gift and a legacy.

*Edouard Jaguer – Catalogue of the exhibitions Permanence du Regard Surréaliste, ELAC, Lyon, 30 June – 22 September 1981, p. 11.

DIRECTARTS showcase

a democratic dialogue The sharing of visions between established and emerging artists is encouraged in a space without boundaries where creativity reigns. www.artinpark.com

DIRECTARTS showcase

he story that we are going to relate dates back to a time when the visual artist Daniela Ribeiro, whom we are featuring in this edition of Directarts, began to feel strongly about the difficulties that young artists face when taking their first steps in the often bureaucratic and stifling world of art. For many young artists, having a space where they can develop their creativity, exhibit and sell their projects and make their mark in the art world sometimes if not all the time, turns into a pipe dream. Determined, Daniela Ribeiro began by securing spaces allocated to artists through the Lisbon Town Council. She then realised that she could help other artists. So in 2005 she created the non-profit artistic association Art in Park, which brings all of these elements together. A platform that would make it possible to raise societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awareness of the importance of art and present it as a valid investment. Thus emerged the roots of an initiative that took on a life of its own and proved to be remarkably effective.

In 2008 a group of artists moved to the basement floor at NÂş 41 on the Avenida da RepĂşblica in Lisbon. Representatives of Lancia and Alfa Romeo understood the importance of being associated with art and set up a partnership with Art in Park and allocated the artists a new home in which to create. Our eyes might deceive us when we enter Spazio Dual, a multi-faceted venue right in the centre of Lisbon. Here you will find a showroom representing the Italian Motor Village, where four-wheeled machines take centre stage. But it is below the ground floor that the artistic experience takes place, far from the engines and chrome wheel rims. The basement floor buzzes with creativity, in a multi-disciplinary environment where several branches of the arts exist alongside each other, and knowledge and experience are shared. The association is home to a collective of nine professionals and includes artistic laboratories with contributions ranging from street art and video installations via sculpture and photography. Names such as Ana Fonseca (visual artist), Butheca (painter),

PREVIOUS Art in Park â&#x20AC;&#x201C; panoramic view OPPOSITE TOP Virus, Winter 2012 by Valentim Quaresma OPPOSITE INSET Untitled by Valentim Quaresma LEFT Selfportrait, 2011 by Ricardo Quaresma BELOW Heritage, Summer 2012 collection by The Burgueses

DIRECTARTS showcase

TOP LEFT The Observer, Spaceship, 2008 by Daniela Ribeiro, 400cm x 300cm x 150cm TOP RIGHT Virus, Winter 2012 by Valentim Quaresma LEFT Heritage, Spring/Summer 2012 by Os Burgueses ABOVE The Observer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; My Ego, 2008 by Daniela Ribeiro, 100cm x 75cm OPPOSITE Untitled by Ricardo Quaresma

Paula Guerreiro (jewellery designer), Ricardo Preto (fashion designer) and Salomé Nascimento (visual artist) have already passed through here. The process by which support is given to new artists who feel an affinity with Art in Park is simple, requiring them only to send their portfolio to the address. It is then analysed and a number of new artists are chosen to share the space in a venue where their ideas will be nourished. Unlike the brand-new motorised models that occupy the ground floor, many kilometres of experiences have been travelled since the Art in Park project was set up. Here, expressions of art are all welcome and have their own space. Established creators rub shoulders with new arrivals on the scene who are anxious to show their vision to the world. The result is an enriching dialogue which benefits everyone. And a great deal happens around here. Art in Park proves that creativity is democratic in a way that breaks boundaries. Connections are made and experiences shared between Portuguese artists and others from every corner of the world, promoting enriching artistic residencies. Being keenly aware of the importance of internationalisation in an artistic career, this association has left its mark on the world. It has taken its artists to markets in Spain, Germany, Angola, England, France and Australia and has brought some artists from abroad so that they can see the concept for themselves. Its founder Daniela Ribeiro is currently responsible for the internationalisation and the jewellery designer and sculptor Valentim Quaresma takes care of the daily management of the project. This association, which is committed to art, deserves to win metals for the goals that it has achieved. In July 2010 a residency was held at Galeries Lafayette by the artists’ collective. And in February of the following year, Art in Park took over a space in London, opening a studio at Nº 105 Wigmore Street. If you have already

read the article on Daniela Ribeiro you will know that there is another dimension to her commitment to art; she will shortly be opening an Art in Park gallery in Angola, a unique open-air space with a view of Luanda Bay under a sky which, like creativity itself, has no limits. The association has staged countless exhibitions. Valentim Quaresma’s sculptures live in close proximity to Daniela Ribeiro’s technological cities, and the clothes created by the two designers The Burgueses share the same space as the photographer Ricardo Quaresma’s images. And then there are the videos, the paintings, and the pieces of jewellery. What happens every day at Art in Park, are artistic dialogues in which everyone is invited to take part.

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Pedro Batista

canvases and emotions Pedro Batista reveals something of himself in each of his paintings, in a kind of expiation of the feelings that assail him at every stage of life. A painter who values freedom, he employs sincerity and leaves the creation to speak for itself. www.pedrobatista.com

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is studio is bursting with works, new experiences and possible inspiration. Paints and brushes that have already experienced other canvases wait for Pedro Batista to pick them up again to start creating. Looking at his work, the Lisbon painter can tell what kind of emotional state he was in at the time. As if he were dealing with a diary. “It has been an interesting process of personal analysis. I exhibited my Evasion project in Lisbon recently, in which there is a desire to escape, a certain ignorance of where one is in the present and a mingling with the past.” He likes works that reflect his more solitary side, but which at the same time show a desire for rupture, change, breaking a cycle. It is in this state of isolation that he likes to paint, with only his deepest thoughts for company. “It’s almost an exorcism, but sometimes isolation in creation becomes painful. I’m sociable by nature, so this solitude during the course of the creative process is agonising, but at the same time it brings me a great calm and pleasure.” In this game of creation he does not concern himself with devising concepts for what he develops. He simply frees himself of constraints and unburdens himself on his canvases. “I try to be as sincere as possible in relation to my emotional state, and this is what I convey in the paintings. I don’t think in advance about what I want to say, everything is born with a natural force. I explore, I experiment, and everything flows. I can only interpret my paintings after they have been born.”

Roots in street art Pedro conveys an interior voice in his work, but this process of shouting his most intimate thoughts to the world requires a certain amount of courage. This unburdening isn’t restricted

to the psychologist’s couch, it is exposed for all to see and to make their own interpretation; “It’s curious to see that comments about my work are always a reflection of the person making them. There are individual interpretations for each of the paintings.” What interests him is not a perfect conceptualisation starting from a brilliant idea. He clarifies that his paintings don’t reveal everything about him, because even he doesn’t know all his dimensions: “Some revelations create a certain reticence, but I always try to distance myself from fear of judgement in a public arena.” There is a component of street art in his work, which stems from adolescence. An element that formed part of his growth, which, without asking his permission, has an influence on the artist. Not that he paints in the open air or wanders the streets of Lisbon as a graffiti artist. Nor are his artistic manifestations political. He admires artists who know the streets and filter their essence into artistic objects. A skater who didn’t let himself be seduced by the boom of computer games. “I was always out of the house. I ended up with lots of friends linked to graffiti, I surfed and was in some punk bands. I used to look at lots of drawings, read magazines, my own skateboards were illustrated, and my interest in the power of painting started from there.” Without his realising it, this all influenced him and even today he enjoys himself with

PREVIOUS Twins, 2009 – Oil and collage on canvas, 120cm x 90cm ABOVE LEFT Twins, 2008 – Oil on canvas, 100cm x 80cm ABOVE RIGHT Twins, 2008 – Mixed techniques oil and collage on canvas, 100cm x 80cm OPOSITE PAGE Golden Age, 2009 – Oil on canvas, 110cm x 95cm

“It’s curious to see that comments about my work are always a reflection of the person making them...”

DIRECTARTS por tfolio paints, and drawing without a set purpose brings him immense pleasure: “It was a passion I didn’t allow to die.” It is not surprising that this visual artist is part of the WeSC family, a Swedish street fashion brand that supports its activists. He has established “a healthy partnership” with them. But he doesn’t inhabit a universe without personal discipline, quite the opposite. He carries out research, he is attracted by images that relate to something he is feeling and he likes to use photography as a base in his paintings. Sometimes he photographs friends, who act as models and give structure to the creation. He also looks to films for inspiration, “all in search of a feeling, an energy that can come from different media.”

The artist’s inspiration In 2004 he completed a course in Communication Design and started working as a freelance, but spent more time painting. Early on, he knew that painting would be his exclusive occupation. Still at a tender age, under the influence of his older brother, he read authors such as Franz Kafka. They stayed with him and for some time he felt he was experiencing a real metamorphosis. He admits that in the paintings he created in his adolescence, the subliminal Kafkian universe can be perceived. He also looked at the pages of Oscar Wilde, and turned to him again as an adult. The work that caused scandal and controversy in Victorian England inspired this Portuguese visual artist: “I did an exhibition called Golden Age which reflected the time when I turned 30. Up to the age of 29, life seemed different and suddenly something changed. The exhibition was influenced by the book The Picture of Dorian Grey because it fitted well with what I was feeling.” In eight years, he hasn’t just restricted himself to his studio. Passport in pocket, he packed his bags. He exhibited in São Paulo and

took inspiration from there to continue. He spent some time in Lisbon and in 2009 he went to New York for three months. He frequented the School of Visual Arts in Chelsea, where he did an artisticresidency in visual arts and developed a project that culminated in an exhibition. There, his works examined the question of identity. He did some experiments and opened the door to new materials. The next plane headed to Berlin, in 2010. “It was a period ofisolation, during which I visited many galleries, museums, and did a lot of analytical work. I went in search of a different language, I looked for a deeper sincerity. The result of this was a series of works with an aspect of nostalgia and solitude. I went through an experience that was reflected in what I painted.” He admits that he is starting to take more risks in his art. He also faces errors more naturally, no longer submitting to torturous metamorphoses when what emerges on the canvas doesn’t come out as planned. He is proud of being free to create without limits, with no commercial rules imposed on him. From his honesty comes an interesting dialogue between the painter, the viewer and the work. “This makes them see a painting and want it in their life, because they see themselves in it.” The next step in Pedro Batista’s work is to explore colour. “I’ve already done it in some works, but now I want to approach this in another way. I’m going to start experimenting to see what emerges.” Outside the Lisbon studio, his travels have led to a strong emphasis on internationalisation. In Stockholm he is developing partnerships and his target is now Brazil, chiefly São Paulo. He confesses that he’s prepared to swap Lisbon for this inland city, in the name of art. In this way, he continues on his personal and artistic journey, with an inherent freedom and always in search of the right place.

OPPOSITE TOP Evasion, 2012 – Oil on canvas, 82cm x 100cm OPPOSITE BOTTOM Evasion, 2012 – Oil on canvas, 104cm x 202cm

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BELOW LEFT & RIGHT Berlim, 2010 – Oil on canvas, 200cm x 105cm

TOP LEFT, CENTER & RIGHT NY, 2010 – Indian ink over vegetal paper, 80cm x 60cm ABOVE Evasion, 2009 – Oil on canvas, 100cm x 160cm

the bionic artist

Daniela Ribeiro

is wired

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She creates detailed brains, visionary eyes, planets that simmer with life. She operates in the realm of scientific surrealism and feels an enormous passion for it. Let us enter a world in which neurotransmitters are the main characters. Here, humanity walks hand in hand with technology. www.danielaribeiro.co.uk

iscussing Daniela Ribeiro’s career and achievements is almost as complex a task as knowing how to identify all the stars in our universe. She has always been driven by a desire for knowledge and creation that throbbed with an almost exhausting intensity. Science and creativity live together in harmony inside her mind. Each new discovery in this vast sector is like a page to be remembered for this artist, who finds her inspiration and develops an entire creative process from it. “I began by becoming interested in science and artificial intelligence and from there I am able to explore a vast range of fields. As I get excited about the themes I do a lot of research and end up becoming a compulsive seeker of knowledge. The creativity comes later. The creative process is slow and carrying it out depends a great deal on technical ability”. She prefers projects that are on a large scale, the same as that of her continent of origin (she was born in Mozambique, Africa) and as extensive as her creativity. She lived for several years in Luanda, Angola, and there her father instilled in her a taste for industry and machines. Now she takes scientific and technological discoveries and uses them to imagine the future. Nanotechnology, biochemistry and genetics as well as behavioural and anthropological fields are all in her creative genetic code. She reads scientific articles and devours NASA studies as if they were bedside reading. In them she finds nourishment for her inspiration. She intends to work on three projects over the next two years. “It’s like reading three books at the same time and jumping from one to the other”. She reveals that creative processes are only profound when they hurt and give rise to inner chaos: “When this happens, everything influences me. The most difficult thing for me is to choose a good idea, because I have thousands of them. One idea has to emerge from among them that gives rise to a strong and original piece. In scientific surrealism, I try to have a view of man’s evolutionary tendencies”. Now she is going to make planets. And also a gigantic eye and brain. But let’s take one thing at a time and focus on this latter item. She has been working on it for two years and will shortly undertake an internship at the Wellcome Trust foundation in London to study with neuroscientists. “It’s a gigantic brain, the size of a car, which I use to show how it works like a machine, focusing on the neurotransmitters and the senses. I am going to play a little with the emotions, to show what happens to the brain when people fall in love or get angry. When I started to understand this I demystified a lot of my own behaviour”.

Technological journeys She is constantly on the move. She rarely knows where she will wake up and lives on a permanent aerial bridge between Lisbon, London and Luanda, besides the other trips that she takes. When she goes back to Africa, she feels that she is returning home. The smells, the colours, the sound of this particular world fill her spirit and awaken all of her creative cells. There she felt the call to undertake a project involving African masks. She did not use metal or precious stones to adorn them but mobile phone components. Screens, chips, cables and keypads form a technological sculpture, in an allusion to the bionic body. Called The Uniqueness of Time, it has already been shown around the world. She feels a bottomless passion for science. In it, she finds answers to her doubts and enjoys returning to projects that she can perfect. “I go deeper into the issue until I hit on a more brilliant idea. That happened with the planets. I started them three years ago but what I’m doing now is better”. And that brings us to another of her current subjects. One day she had the opportunity to understand how the Hubble works, an unmanned, artificial astronomical satellite fitted with a giant telescope. Instead of being interested in the images of the universe, she preferred those that it showed of the Earth. She was fascinated. “I was allowed a systematic vision of the way in which man organizes and constructs himself. We live in motherboards. We are bits of information travelling along the various highways. I then did a project on technological cities with the remains of mobile phones, because I turned the Hubble around”. When she began to look at the universe she developed a project called O Rosto de Deus [The Face of God]. She created planets from epoxy resin, a toxic substance that is very difficult to handle. It is worth bearing in mind that the artist has always felt inspired by the German Peter Zimmermann, and in 2006 she specialized in Resin and Silicone Moulds at the Pascal Rosier School in Paris. In an emotional return to her African roots, she has now felt drawn to creating planets again, but this time seen in the sky from her homeland.

PREVIOUS The Observer, The view from my room, 2008 – Photo with light box, 100cm x 75cm

OPPOSITE TOP Luanda City, 2009 (Sindika Dokolo private collection) – Electronic components

from mobile phones on photography 120cm x 120cm

OPPOSITE BOTTOM The Unicity of the Time, Untitled 2009 – Electronic components from mobile phones on photography, 170cm x 130cm

OPPOSITE The Unicity of the Time, Untitled, 2009 – Electronic components from mobile phones on photography, 200cm x 150cm

LEFT TOP The Unicity of the Time, Untitled, 2009 – Electronic components from mobile phones on photography, 190cm x 110cm

LEFT The Unicity of the Time, Untitled, 2009 – Electronic components from mobile phones on photography, 170cm x 120cm

ABOVE The Unicity of the Time, Untitled, 2009 – Electronic components from mobile phones on photography, 190cm x 90cm

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The themes that she explores never derive from the material but always from an idea that emerges. Each project of hers involves a combination of several facets: the ability to realize it, the challenge and the passion. “When I manage to find motivation in these three facets, I take off with the work”. She always tries to be passionate about the materials with which she works. “I’m still interested in transistors, in motherboards; all of that is visually fascinating. When I’m handling them, I feel the same enthusiasm as when I’m getting ready to go out. I select the details of each piece, each accessory. I take apart everything. I explore a lot of materials, but always to go further. For me, the creative process is the most important; when the work is ready I lose interest in it. What’s more, I am more generous and more tolerant with myself when I’m in the creative phase. That’s when I feel happy”.

Immortal artist She attended the French secondary school in Angola in 1980 and then moved to Paris. She returned to Angola but ended up moving to Lisbon, where she trained in computer-aided design, imaging and creation. In 1998, she gained a degree in international relations and attended painting and sculpture courses. She underwent an internship at the Centre for European Studies and spent time at the Ministry of Economics and the Office of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic. Until one day she traded in office paperwork for artistic freedom and never looked back. She has held solo exhibitions of her work since 2002 and in 2005 she created the association Art in Park (see article on page 18) with a view to helping young artists start their careers and promoting exchanges in art. She quickly understood that the question of boundaries was highly contentious. She spread her vision around the world and now wants to set up a gallery in São Paulo and another in New York. “After achieving this I’m going to stay in one place

and only appear to show my pieces. I will stop the social side of things because the daily life of the human being bores me. It’s nothing more than a repetition of patterns. I know that I will do myself no harm by isolating myself”. She is therefore cutting herself off from the social world but not from the creative world. There is no doubt that her happiness is bound up with Africa. It was there that she found inspiration for her masks and there that she is now going to look at the sky to recreate planets and commit herself to a new version of the project that has already resulted in another vision: the Bionic Eye. This was a challenge that the artist was initiated by the Portuguese Communications Foundation, the idea for which involved focussing on an evolutionary tendency in future communications. The result was a project composed of fourteen bionic eyes created from electronic components from around 2000 mobile phones, combining photography and technology, linked together by the Internet. And what if, in the near future, we could connect our eye to that of another person in order to see ourselves through his or her eyes? The debate thereby arises about the ethical and moral questions of technological evolution in communication. And this is the idea that she is returning to now, albeit with a different vision: “I’m going to take 4000 mobile phones and make a giant eye from them which is going to be over Luanda. It’s going to be called Liga-te à Arte [Get Attached to Art]. Daniela Ribeiro has a mind whose dimensions exceed the limits of her body. That is why she designs bionic eyes that supplement the ones with which she was born; why she creates brains that teach her why she is the way she is; and why she represents planets that she can touch. Scientists have already revealed that another fifteen years of research are needed for us to achieve immortality. Daniela will therefore have the chance to continue her boundless creative journey, in a process of endless discovery.

OPPOSITE LEFT My World, Moon I, 2012 – Epoxy resins, oils and acrylics on fiber glass, 170diam x 4cm

OPPOSITE RIGHT My World, Earth II, 2012 – Epoxy resins, oils and acrylics on fiber glass, 170diam x 4cm

TOP The Bionic Eye, Beta Hidri, 2010 – Electronic components from mobile phones on photography with acrylic frame, 115cm x 115cm

CENTER The Bionic Eye, 20 Leonis Minoris 3724, 2010 – Electronic components from mobile phones on photography with acrylic frame, 115cm x 115cm

LEFT The Bionic Eye, Alpha Aquilae, 2010 – Electronic components from mobile phones on photography with acrylic frame, 115cm x 115cm

Pedro Pires

breaking the boundaries of the body

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Overstepping limits is something that he likes to do. It is not that he rejects rules, but he is interested in the symbolic and emotional charge conveyed by that imaginary line. With his sculptures he takes us on a journey through this breaking of horizons. www.pedropires.pt

n what way does the body constitute a boundary? What force is borne by the line that separates two countries? Could it be that we all want to cross borders? These are some of the questions that might occur to the spectator when looking at Pedro Pires’ work. He explores this question through his pieces. During the first year of the sculpture course at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Universidade de Lisboa, he became interested in the human figure. Since then he has been fascinated by the body as a volume, a container for the human being, “the physical boundary of which each of us is made”. His decision to head for Athens as an Erasmus student coincided with his interest in classical Greek sculpture. It was there that he began to introduce a new element into his art which, although always present, had played a secondary role on this route that bears little resemblance to a Greek tragedy. “The sculpture department of the Faculty of Arts in Athens was full of copies of classical sculptures and the corresponding moulds. After a while I became much more interested in the moulds of these sculptures than in the multiples that they produce”, Pires reveals. He was at a stage when he wanted to continue producing figurative work but with a stronger conceptual and symbolic charge and he has always found moulds to be sculpturally interesting, “I could even say beautiful”. Now the sculptor sees that part of this interest stems from the fact that the mould is an object with a function, which serves a purpose. One day he decided to make his art even more personal and be-

gan to use his own body in the moulds that he constructs. The aim was never to make himself identifiable in his works. Rather, he was concerned that they should be “figurative and anthropomorphic, leaving space for spectators to be able to project themselves onto them”.

In the play of creation Pedro Pires is an artist with eclectic influences. He is often inspired by the new materials or design objects depicted within the pages of the magazine Wallpaper. But he does not limit himself to this example: “I am often inspired by visiting a building materials shop, or by a book, such as the O Bairro series by Gonçalo M. Tavares. I never begin an idea completely from scratch. Each new work proceeds from the previous one and aims to add something new, to tackle a new idea or the same idea in a different way”. Some conversations and day-to-day situations also become good starting points for a project. It should be noted that

PREVIOUS This House is not For Living, 2008 – brick, iron, glue and wood, 350 x 225 x 40 cm OPPOSITE TOP LEFT Cabin, 2011 – iron and brick, 86 x 102 x 75 cm OPPOSITE TOP RIGHT Mobil Shelter, 2011 – iron and brick, 185 x 59 x 40 cm OPPOSITE BELOW RIGHT Study for the Extention of a house 2, 2010 – iron and brick, 162 x 40 x 45 cm

OPPOSITE BELOW LEFT Unreachable, 2011 – iron and brick, 244 x 76 x 99 cm

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ABOVE LEFT Eat #2, 2008 – inox bowls, 198 x 75 x 45 cm ABOVE RIGHT Industrialized #1, 2008 – iron, 202 x 75 x 50 cm LEFT New Skin, 2009 – basket balls and iron, 220 x 48 x 78 cm OPPOSITE Wall Man, 2008 – iron, 5 sculptures with 198 x 75 x 45 cm

his greatest influence in the artistic world is Tim Hawkinson, an American artist whose work he saw at close hand at an exhibition in Sydney. Hawkinson also works with the body, using sculpture, photography, painting and drawing. Conceptualization is at the forefront of this creative play, to the detriment of the exploration of technique. “A large part of my work is obviously technique, but I have always focussed more on creating works that are the result of conceptualization. I think that part of my interest is this: presenting a figurative work that stems from conceptualization and a rational process”. Metal, brick, gunpowder, stone, lead bullets, bricks. In most cases, the material is chosen according to the concept of the piece. This is because “materials have different meanings, contexts, limitations, which is why the choice depends on which material best responds to the idea of the work, or which can help to construct a discourse or context”. One of the initial ideas for his work involved covering the body with a material, hiding the identity of the person underneath. “And at the same time I tried to reveal something of the identity or personality of the person who was covered by the material and the way in which it was used”. Speaking of creation, we can reveal that his studio is chaotic and increasingly full. Stuffed with materials, machines and life-size plaster moulds that he cannot resist keeping. He moves between London and Lisbon but spends most of his time in England. “In

the morning I work at home on the computer or I go out to see exhibitions and I spend the evening in my studio in Bermondsey developing work. When I go to Portugal it’s normally to produce a work and I only stay there for as long as is necessary, working in my studio in Sintra.” (A picturesque tawn 24 km outside of Lisbon) This is a boundary that he often crosses frequently.

Men on the street Drawing, sculpture, photography – Pires makes use of all of these media. In this respect his creations also have ceased to have limits. “It wasn’t until 2010 that I managed to produce a photographic work that I thought was good enough to be shown. Photography fits neatly into my art as it is a rational and objective means of capturing the human body.” During the Master’s course in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, he took these steps with the camera. Also his interest in drawing is rooted in the relationship between paper and different forms of matter and the way that the former reacts to the latter. Essentially, he likes to experiment and break down such barriers. “The first drawings that I presented were done in burnt gunpowder, the main idea being to use a material with a strong symbolic charge, which acted directly on the paper”. Public pieces are a fundamental part of the artistic path that he has followed. “A work in the public space involves many chal-

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lenges that do not exist in a gallery or museum, such as safety, resistance, weather, and the impact on the social context of the local public”. All of these aspects creates great challenges which he cannot resist. In May of this year, he exhibited an open-air sculpture in Estoril, Portugal, consisting of a house measuring 2 x 2 x 2.5 metres made of double-glazed walls containing sand. “In technical terms, it was a huge challenge”, he confesses. It is outside of the galleries that we can catch a glimpse of his Homem Muralha (Wall Man), in the Parque das Nações in Lisbon, and Homens que Navegam (Men Who Navigate) beside the A17 motorway near Quiaios, Figueira da Foz. He believes that rationality is the characteristic that best defines his work. His greatest ambition is to succeed in building an international career. In the past few months he has developed a

project for an exhibition at Ort in Birmingham which also opened in May. The work involves photography and electrical devices. “I took a series of photographs that deal with ideas such as equilibrium, the relationship with the planet, the Greek canon of proportions or measurements. They are displayed alongside simple devices such as a spirit level that repeatedly moves with the help of a motor”. In the light of all this, what boundaries are left for him to break in his career? “To create a urban sculpture outside Portugal.”

PREVIOUS House 226, 2008 – resin, tile from “viúva lamego”, glue and poliurephane, 198 x 75 x 30 cm BOTTOM LEFT Mapping Series (Wall), 2010 – c-type print, 75 x 75 cm (Edition of 3+2 artist prints)

BOTTOM RIGHT Mapping Series (Brick), 2010 – c-type print, 75 x7 5 cm (Edition of 3+2 artist prints)

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Joana Vasconcelos at the court of versailles She is the first female artist to exhibit in the Grand Apartments of the most iconic of all French palaces. Through art, she intends to pay homage to all those young women who once resided there. The reign of this Portuguese artist has without doubt extended beyond borders and conquered new territories. www.joanavasconcelos.com

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n mentioning princesses and their stories, one is put in the mind of the princess who lost her shoe and so won her Prince Charming. Joana Vasconcelos story also features shoes (albeit made of saucepans), determination and, now, a palace. This Paris-born Portuguese artist is returning to the city of her birth. Between 19 June and 30 September she is taking signature works, as well as unseen pieces, to the palace and gardens of Versailles. Her Marilyn shoe will be exhibited. Thanks to its scale, it will be hard to miss. There will also be a helicopter covered in pink feathers and precious stones, a heart made of plastic cutlery and a tapestry measuring 13 square metres. The Golden Valkyrie in the Galerie des Batailles, of course among all the others forges a link between history and contemporary art and which, according to the artist, most successfully illustrates the contrast between feminine and masculine which exists along the palace. This opportunity fits in perfectly with the career of the youngest artist to exhibit work in this magical space. The building’s last female occupant was Marie Antoinette, and in Joana Vasconcelos’ work the colour and spirit of earlier times live on. Nearly two decades after her first exhibition, there have been many triumphs for this artist who is now to occupy this French palace.

In 2000 you’ve received the EDP new talents prize, in 2003 the Fundo Tabaqueira Artes Públicas prize for your intervention at the Largo da Academia das Belas Artes in Lisbon and in 2006 you won The Winner Takes it All prize awarded by the Fundação Berardo, for Néctar. What has distinguished you now in the art world from early on? The desire for my work to exist and to communicate beyond the Portuguese art scene.

PREVIOUS Marilyn, 2011 – Stainless steel pans, lids and concrete, (2x) 290 x 157 x 410 cm ABOVE Gardes, 2012 – Port Laurent marble (Pakistan) lions and bases and Azores crocheted lace, (2x) 200 x 65 x 110 cm OPPOSITE TOP LEFT Coração Independente Vermelho (Red Independent Heart), 2005 – translucent red plastic cutlery, painted iron, metal chain, motor and sound installation of Fado music by Amalia Rodrigues, 371 x 220 x 75 cm OPPOSITE RIGHT Royal Valkyrie, 2012 – Handmade woollen crochet, industrial knitted fabric, fabrics, ornaments, polyester and steel cables, 625 x 600 x 893 cm

OPPOSITE BOTTOM Lilicoptère, 2012 – Bell 47 helicopter, ostrich feathers, Swarovski

crystals, gold leaf, industrial coating, dyed leather upholstery embossed with fine gold, Arraiolos rugs, walnut wood, wood grain painting and passementerie, 300 x 274 x 1265 cm

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ABOVE Vitrail, 2012 – Wool and cotton, 346 x 367 cm LEFT Perruque, 2012 – Vinhatico, ebony inlays,

gold-plated brass, shellac, beeswax, iron and artificial and natural hair, 298 x Ø 124 cm | Base: Ø 105 cm

OPPOSITE PAGE Pavillon de Vin, 2011 – Wrought iron and vine plants, 550 x Ø 330 cm

Your projects have included Donzela (Damzel), in the castle of Santa Maria da Feira; A Jóia do Tejo (Jewel of the Tagus), in the Tower of Belém; Varina (Fisherwoman) , on the Don Luis Bridge, in Porto. What is the most challenging thing about creating for public spaces? I think that the biggest challenge when intervening in a public space is that you are working with a place, rather than a space, since the idea of a place is related to memory, with experiences and people. It also implies a work made in close proximity to communities, as was the case in Santa Maria da Feira and in Nisa, which were two exceptionally gratifying projects.

In 2005 you presented A Noiva (The Bride) at the Venice Biennale, a six metre high chandelier made of tampons, still one of your key works. When you imagine a piece, do you have its dimensions in mind? Large scale is a frequent characteristic of my work, but it is the result of previous choices. For example, in the case of the shoe sculptures, I chose to make a scale model of a size 36 shoe, using saucepans. And this led to the large size. It’s not a priori objective, it’s not a premise. In the case of A Noiva, it was the multiplication of the tampon that resulted in that immense sculpture, whose size is similar to that of an actual chandelier. However, although my sculptures are frequently perceived as being very big, my work is also diverse in terms of scale.

Are you also interested in the idea of recycling and decontextualisation within art? I’m interested in the behaviour of contemporary society, the objects which surround us and what they signify. What I do is appropriate these objects and subvert these signs in order to generate new meanings and new perspectives on what surrounds us.

There was a retrospective of your work in 2010 at the Belém Cultural Centre, in Lisbon, when you were 38. This was the most visited exhibition ever in Portugal. What sort of a dialogue is there between the pieces from the beginning of your career and the most recent work? There is a natural continuity between the pieces I produced at the beginning of my career and the most recent work; they are pieces that I could have made now and that still have the same importance and relevance that they had at the time I made them. What I have achieved over the years is the ability to execute my initial idea more successfully.

Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Xavier Veilhan and Bernar Venet have exhibited in the Palace of Versailles. This year it’s your turn. How have you approached the space? Versailles has always been part of my aesthetic universe, since ideas of luxury, taste, excess, have been a constant in my work over the years. The excess and the decorative exuberance of the

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LEFT A Noiva (The Bride), 2001/2005 – OB tampons, stainless steel, cotton thread and steel cables, 600 x Ø 300 cm OPPOSITE Blue Champagne, 2012 – Pommery POP

Champagne bottles, metallized and thermo lacquered iron, ultra bright LEDs and electric system, (2x) 940 x Ø 496 cm

Palace speak of a very feminine world and, as the first woman to exhibit there, I also wanted to pay homage to its women. The way I decided to approach this extraordinary place was by establishing a dialogue between the works and the spaces that receive them, a kind of bridge between the past and the present. Some of these were designed specifically for the setting, such as the Lilicoptère, the helicopter covered with feathers, gold leaf and crystals, or Perruque, a gigantic egg made of exotic woods which is installed in the Queen’s bedroom. I studied the customs, the clothes, the themes and values which were adhered to at the end of the Ancien Régime and I rethought them in a contemporary light.

The chandelier A Noiva (The Bride) is not part of the exhibition at Versailles. How did you face the fact that one of your most iconic pieces was censured from your show? A Noiva is the piece that would blend in more naturally both in the space and in the context of the exhibition: on the one hand, it is a six meter chandelier which transports us immediately to European luxury, on the other hand it is a fundamental incur-

sion into the feminine universe of Versailles. Also, this piece is what I’m best known for internationally. It is a big mistake and very disappointing not being able to show it there.

You have included both signature pieces and new works in this exhibition. You designed an enormous tapestry which was made by the famous company Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre. What was it like taking a Portuguese symbol to such an iconic French setting? Tapestry is one of a variety of examples of Portuguese creativity that I have included in my work. I also took the Heart of Viana, (Portuguese filigree), the ceramics of Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, the work and mastery from Fundação Ricardo do Espírito Santo, Nisa crafts, the crochet from the Azores. It’s really important to take these elements and give them a new existence, it’s a way of establishing a relationship between Portugal and the world.

Was that same desire that motivated you to invite Portuguese fashion designers to create the dresses that you wore for your inauguration at Versailles?

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Yes, the same way that the pieces on display at Versailles integrate a Portuguese identity, I also wanted to bring the talents of Chef José Avillez, fado singer Mariza (with the emblematic traditional Portuguese music and song), Vista Alegre china and the fashion creations of Storytailors (see page 76), Filipe Faísca and Dino Alves.

So your art reflects a Portuguese vision and sentiment? The references to Portugal are a starting point in my work, since I start from what surrounds me, from what is close to me. All this is then subverted and worked on, and transformed into something entirely new, in order to communicate beyond the Portuguese context. My work deals with much more than Portuguese tradition or even questions of national identity. The heart is universal, but the starting point can be a local peculiarity, as in the case of Coração Independente (Independent Heart), which reproduces the shape of the Heart of Viana. In spite of the use of national symbols in some of my works, the work ends up offering many different readings depending on the sensibility and personal experience of the audience.

Does the viewer need to understand the meaning behind the making of the pieces? No, not at all. Once a Spanish woman said that the hearts were about laceration, blood, flesh, evisceration, and then she told me she was the wife of a plastic surgeon! She identified them solely with operations, when really they are related to Fado! It’s fantastic how people can find meanings different to those I created for the work. What is difficult is to have a work with a discourse that is sufficiently open to enable these other interpretations to emerge. It is the fact that people reinvent meanings for the work that is incredible.

You were already part of the gallery and museum world and you have now moved into the world of auctions. After Coração Independente Dourado (Golden Independent Heart) sold at Christies for €192,000, the Marilyn shoes went for nearly €600,000. How has this helped your career? Auctions are something beyond my control, they’re not something that specially interests me. What moves me are ideas, not numbers.

Can you tell us about your forthcoming ideas and projects? After Versailles, I have an individual exhibition confirmed in London this year and another in Paris, in 2013. We’re also considering proposals for a touring exhibition in Brazil, a public art project in New York and exhibitions in Russia and Turkey. I will also represent Portugal at the Venice Biennale 2013.

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PREVIOUS LEFT Madame du Barry, 2007 – Concrete statue, acrylic paint and handmade cotton crochet, 180 x 80 x 70 cm PREVIOUS RIGHT Contaminação (Contamination),

2008-2010 – Palazzo Grassi, Venice, 2011, Handmade woollen knitting and crochet, industrial knitted fabric, fabrics, ornaments, polystyrene, polyester and steel cables, Dimensions variable

TOP Esposas (Wives/Handcuffs), 2005 – Foam mannequins, nylon cable ties, C-print mounted on K-mount, Dimensions variable / Print: 230 x 125 cm CENTER Piano Dentelle, 2008 - Steingraeber & Söhne baby grand piano, piano stool and handmade cotton crochet, 100 x 150 x 206 cm BOTTOM War Games, 2011 - Morris Oxford series VI, toy rifles, plush and plastic toys, LEDs and electronic controllers,175 x 185 x 435 cm

ABOVE A Jóia do Tejo (The Jewel of the Tagus), 2008

– Nautical buoys and fenders, nautical cables and ballasted tubular structure, 1200 x 1300 x 1300 cm

LEFT Portugal a Banhos, 2010 – Fiberglass and iron, 100 x 50 x 30,5 cm

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TEXTILES

IN ARTISTIC CREATION Contextile 2012: An exhibition of contemporary art features textiles as a reference element for research, reflection and creation. www.contextile.wordpress.com

n the city of Guimarães the past is preserved, but with a vision of modernity that sets it apart as the 2012 European Capital of Culture. Creativity and history come together in a year in which creators and creations bring yet more energy to an already vibrant city. As art comes in so many forms, materials and guises, the first Contemporary Textile Art Triennial – Contextile 2012 – is to be held between 1 September and 14 October in the city. This international contemporary art fair and exhibition uses textiles as elements of reflection, research and creation,

through a variety of forms of artistic expression. The initiative aims to give greater visibility to Textile Art, and to mobilize and inspire artists to take experimental and innovative approaches to the visual arts. It is also a creative platform to promote debate on ideas and projects, offering a space to develop international networks, as well as to exchange positive interdisciplinary and academic practices. With close ties to long-standing textile traditions, this Triennial is an eclectic space that will stimulate dialogue between artists,

PREVIOUS Jenine Shereos ABOVE LEFT Ambar O’Harrow ABOVE Rewind Story, History Exhibition Collection LEFT Saverah Malik

creators, the community and the city that hosts it, contributing to the diversification of the economy and of creative and cultural industries. Here one can see the work of a new generation of artists who have turned to alternative supports and formats and who reflect the diversity of modern-day artistic practices, thus paving the way for a greater valorisation of Textile Art. The Contemporary Textile Art Triennial is promoted and funded by GUIMARÃES 2012 – ECC and co-funded by the Portuguese Secretary of State for Culture / General-Directorate for the Arts. The concept and production are the responsibility of the nonprofit cooperative group Ideias Emergentes, founded in 2004. The aim of the group is to promote and produce artistic activities that contribute to stimulating and strengthening cultural dynamics. It is a member of the ETN – the European Textile Network, and it is working in close partnership with the Kaunas Biennial on the production and programming of the Triennial. This inaugural Triennial will offer a balanced programme integrated with the European Capital of Culture schedule, which

has events in several areas of the city, bringing together exhibitions, workshops, conferences and public art interventions. One of the initiatives will take place between 1 July and 30 August and will involve artists in residence. To promote and regenerate the traditional Guimarães Embroidery and to highlight new textile languages and applications, Contextile will welcome guest artists to develop their project in conjunction with local artisans. Another residence project “IN FACTORY” aims to forge and integrate the textile industry with the Triennial, and to show its connection with contemporary art. This initiative will be held in Guimarães from 1 September to 14 October. A multidisciplinary jury has selected 53 artists and works from over 20 countries throughout the world, which will now be brought together in this international exhibition and textile art competition. It will comprise works of art on different supports and scales, and will promote creativity and artistic freedom, enabling a configuration of works that relate and blend new languages and media, with textiles as the focal element. “Rewind History” is an exhibition

DIRECTARTS exhibition that is the result of a challenge set by the Kaunas Biennial to the curator Rasa Andriušyte-Žukiene: to organize a show combining a technological starting point (works made using a computerized Jacquard loom) and theme (historical perspective), based on classical works reproduced in textile art by around 16 Lithuanian artists. The range of artistic form is seen throughout; one example is the interdisciplinary performance spectacle “4 million”, by the choreographer Ne Barros (Porto) and the artist Patricija Gilytè (Kaunas). Also noteworthy is the show by Gisela Santi, an artist of Italian origin who graduated in Mural Painting from the Venice School of Arts. The involvement of the textile industry in the Triennial is considerable, but it is tempered with creative and design angles. The exhibition showcases a manu-

facturing inheritance that is organized, set up and presented as artwork, which may contribute to revitalising the image of this industry that is so important to the Guimarães region. In a world where creativity is seen as an added bonus, it is important to stimulate debate, and therefore Contextile 2012, in partnership with Lala de Dios (President of the European Textile Network), will also be holding the conference “Contemporary Textile Art: What Perspectives?” on the 2nd and 3rd of October. Textile artists, producers and academics will form the panel of speakers at this joint event, which will guide one through the artistic world of the long Portuguese tradition of textile craft and manufacturing, and will lead to consideration of its role in new creative contexts.

ABOVE & LEFT 4 Million

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“Objects ought not to touch, because they are not alive. You use them, put them back in place, you live among them: they are useful, nothing more. But they touch me, it is unbearable. I am afraid of being in contact with them as though they were living beasts.” *

redemption of the awkward

photo: Patrícia Faria

Gonçalo Barreiros

onçalo Barreiros (b.1978), studied at London’s Slade School of Fine Art, and began to exhibit around 2000. Concentrating on the manipulation of pre-existing objects, whose presence is defined by a phenomenological reconfiguration in which sound and movement play a vital role, the artist explores the pathetic dimension of everyday activities. Unsettling objects inhabit the space, as though they were living beasts, and question established forms of existence. The dramatic performance of the matter is intensified by the intimate relationship it creates with the viewer. In Gonçalo Barreiros’ work, metaphorical language assumes a plural character, absurd machines simulate, mimic or accentuate human twitches, to the point of exhaustion. In untitled (2005), a small device pumps water around itself within a closed system, exhausting itself, pointlessly, in an onanistic rhythm. In untitled William Tell Overture (2008), the opening sequence of Rossini’s ‘William Tell’ is played over and over again on a vinyl record. This exasperating repetition destroys the piece’s heroic dimension, which is replaced by a humiliating stutter that rapidly becomes unbearable. Engaging in a working method based on observing and experimenting with reality, the artist dissects behaviours, isolating processes derived from daily practices. Physiological spasms

are turned into objects and publicly represented through mechanical mediation. Conventions of acceptability are questioned by the imposition of incongruity, activating a process of communal redemption with the viewer. A rocking wooden structure repeatedly squashes two rubber chickens which emit a strident noise, untitled (2007). Surprise is replaced by discomfort, humour becomes painful. In ‘Salesman’ (2007) the smile is precarious. Framed by an old bicycle’s inner tube, it is the fake smile of the salesman or the nervous grimace of someone apologising. In Gonçalo Barreiros, laughter is a form of recognition, acceptance, integration or simply a wink. The fleeting moment is captured in bronze, creating an ironic reference to the grand tradition of classical sculpture. His most recent work, ‘Woodpecker’ (2012), depicts a mysterious universe, given substance by the amplified sound, captured in real time by a microphone within the piece, which registers the friction between two objects, one internal, the other external, one viscera, the other the outer shell. The confrontation proposed by the sculptural tradition is repositioned – while on one hand the theatricality of the performance is emphasised by the lighting, on the other hand the timeless dimension of the object is reinforced by the void, the insurmountable space between the viewer

ABOVE LEFT Untitled, 2005 – stainless steal, water and washer motor

ABOVE RIGHT William Tell Overture, 2008 – shelf, turntable, mechanism and sound system.

LEFT Untitled, 2007 – Squeaky chicken, sand bags, iron and wood structure

DIRECTARTS ar ticle passed from the stone to my hand. Yes, that’s it, that’s just it — a sort of nausea in the hands.” * The appropriation and displacement of previously living matter, through the making of vital devices detached from a body, imbuing the inanimate with meaning, lead to the creation of a place in which life is remade, in a translation of the theatre of the body. In Gonçalo Barreiros’ work, the sculptural tradition is perceived, the history of art is reconfigured without recourse to references or quotations, it is underlying. Life is frozen while objects are animated.

*Excerpts from ‘Nausea’ by Jean-Paul Sartre, 1938.

photos: Courtesy of the Vera Cortez Gallery

and the work. What was once a living organism, an ancient tree, is now a still life, the representation of something else. The animal and vegetable world is encapsulated, creating an unsettling reality, a combination of factors previously tackled in ‘Peanuts...’ (2008), in which the viewer is invited to operate a device, a fishing reel. Here the dramatic performance is catalysed by sound, which is produced by miniscule lead spheres inside closed peanut shells. The surprising effect is replaced by an uncomfortable perception of the situation, provoked by the precarious nature of the object. ‘Now I see: I recall better what I felt the other day at the seashore when I held the pebble. It was a sort of sweetish sickness. How unpleasant it was! It came from the stone, I’m sure of it, it

PREVIOUS PAGE Woodpecker, 2012 – tree, brush, mechanism, sound system and lapel microphone TOP Salesman, 2007 – iron and wasted inner tube LEFT Untitled, 2007 – bronze

photos: Courtesy of the Vera Cortez Gallery

BOTTOM Peanuts, 2008 – led bullets inside monkey nuts, bricks, mechanism and fishing reel

Frederico Martins

in the glare of the flash

“I share Helmut Newton’s idea, with his motto ‘a gun for hire’. I work for whoever pays me. I’m not an elitist.” www.fredericomartins.net

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n these pages, we present a photographer who has established himself through his commercial, editorial and fashion work. He collaborates with the best magazines in the world and instils with each click exceptional creativity and professionalism. But there is much more to Frederico Martins than that. A graduate in agricultural engineering and an enthusiastic body boarder, he gets his adrenaline rush from both the sea and his photographs. His passion for photography came late, but as soon as the camera had captured his attention he realised that the attraction was too strong to be ignored. There had always been cameras at home and at the age of seventeen he picked up a Pentax Auto 110, which still used film cartridges. “I thought it was fun and I took it around with me, until one day I entered a competition and finished in third place. That encouraged me to continue and I ended up becoming obsessed with photography”. That’s how he began his career, which, despite not being very long, has revealed itself to have solid foundations on which to build. When he still believed that he was going to work in agriculture, he began collaborating with the Jornal Universitário do Porto, where he made many contacts with photography professionals. In 1999 he went on holiday to Angola, when the country was still at war. “I took quite a few photographs while in Angola and one of my shots ended up being published in the French magazine Photo, which brought quite a lot of visibility. The curious thing is that my photograph was published with a text by Milan Kundera”. It would be hard to find a better incentive, and Frederico Martins eventually accepted his calling. He received an increasing number of photographic commissions and worked with the Portuguese Impresa publishing group on magazines such as Visão, Cosmopolitan and Exame. “At the time I was already working with artificial light in a studio and it was clear even then that I had my own style”, he recalls. He likes simple, minimalist images and he favours natural-looking lighting of the sort that, even when it is difficult to create, appears easy. “I might not be the most creative photographer but I’m a perfectionist and I believe that the way that I approach light is my strong point”. As a cinephile, he finds inspiration in the vision of the masters. He is a confessed fan of the films of Francis and Sofia Copolla and he admits that the soundtrack of The Virgin Suicides, the Sofia Copolla-directed movie for which the French musicians Air wrote the music, he played to the point

of exhaustion. Because the simplicity that surrounds him is also replete with quality. At the age of twenty-six Frederico Martins was working as a freelancer when, thanks to the magazine N’Style, fashion became part of his itinerary. He was in London and studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, taking courses in career management. “I always had a very clear idea about my working model, the commercial side of it. I never imagined working for anyone else or being part of a structure”. He believes that he has a refined practical side similar to that of a key figure in the world of photography: “I share Helmut Newton’s idea, with his motto ‘a gun for hire’. I work for whoever pays me. I’m not an elitist”. He currently has a studio and an organised structure with professionals working with him. He confesses to having little interest in technology and does not insist on getting to grips with it before other professionals, although he is not missing the boat: “My school worked with film and I had a slow transition to digital. That worked out to my advantage because it resulted in a smoother and more solid change”.

Among the best He works in areas such as fashion, business, and editorial photography. The Italian Vogue Accessory, Maxim USA, Elle Indonesia, and the Portuguese editions of Vogue, GQ and Elle are some of the magazines in which we can see the work of this photographer, who lives in Porto, in the north of Portugal, but does not allow himself to be restricted by borders: “I often talk on Skype with the editor of Elle Indonesia, with whom I’ve worked on several occasions. These days, distances are relative”. Recognition of the quality of his images comes from the best places, such as the invitation he received from Phase One – the Danish medium-format camera company – to be the brand’s photographer. “I speak at their events, I use and test the cameras, and suggest ways to improve them. It’s a very interesting partnership”.

PREVIOUS Portuguese Soul – Vogue Portugal, March 2012 TOP Hot New Talents, 2012 BOTTOM Portuguese Soul – Vogue Portugal, March 2012

PREVIOUS Lace It Up – Portuguese Soul editorial, March 2012 TOP LEFT 3D the Future – Elle Magazine, March 2012 TOP RIGHT Luis Borges – Dsection Magazine, 2012 LEFT Portuguese Soul – Vogue Italia Accessory, September 2011 ABOVE Apiccaps International Campaign, 2012

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Frederico Martins always works in medium format, except in his free time. These days he allows himself to be led by the pure action of capturing moments. “I love photographing silly things with my iPhone and I often use Instagram – I think it’s a brilliant idea. Technically, I’m very disciplined and demanding in my work. I don’t allow myself to do things badly, which is why I sometimes find myself trying to regulate my use of the iPhone, but it has a free and easy side to it that I like”. The name Frederico Martins appears in Le Book, the contact directory for high-profile professionals working in the fields of fashion, photography, events, advertising and production which is distributed internationally by the big brands and agencies. Yet another indication that we are dealing with a top-flight professional. His main aim is to work with more clients from outside of Portugal while still being based in his home country. “I try to get across the idea that it is cheaper to shoot in Portugal and that there are professionals here of the same quality as those elsewhere. We have excellent natural and architectural settings. We just have to let people know about them. There is a sale on in the country and that should be taken advantage of! Everyone wins and has a great time by working here in Portugal”. And he adds: “Although

our music is fado we are not at all sad or melancholy”. He does a great deal of commercial work with the Portuguese footwear industry and in 2012 he will have the chance to try his hand as an artistic director: “I’m going to do a campaign for Salsa Jeans, the Portuguese company for which I’m creating a new aesthetic idea”. He has no problems following briefings but he insists on showing his ideas to the client. “Sometimes it’s difficult for them to change their perspective but when they realize that it’s better they end up giving in”. There is no doubt that fashion is one of his main interests and one day he would like to photograph the model Kate Moss. He only regrets that the world has lost the genius of Alexander McQueen. In the meantime he is going to continue to work with the men’s magazine Dsection: “I think it’s the next big thing in Portugal and in the world of fashion”. Career-wise, his aim is to be consistent in terms of quality, to the point where he ensures that: “If something goes wrong, I don’t show it. I want to establish myself as a serious artist, with a solid career, in which everything is done intentionally. I’m very ambitious. If I become one of the top hundred fashion photographers in the world, I will be happy!”

PREVIOUS TOP Apiccaps – International Campaign, 2012 PREVIOUS BOTTOM Soft core – Wrong Weather

DIRECTARTS showcase

a tale of enchantment Once upon a time, there was lace, corsets, fascinators and accessories â&#x20AC;&#x201C; clothes that looked as though they were straight out of a fairytale. Two fashion designers combined their visions to cover womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bodies with the stuff of dreams. Today they are setting out to conquer new lands. www.storytailors.pt

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hile the princesses of yesteryear might have betrayed some uncertainties, those of the 21st century let their power shine through. These are not women who have blue blood or sport a tiara, but rather demonstrate that the notion of the weaker sex is pure myth. Such ladies with guts are finding themselves seduced by the ideas of the Storytailors duo. After all, wearing a corset is no longer a throwback to the past or a symbol of restrictiveness; rather, it is synonymous with self-assertiveness and individuality. João Branco and Luís Sanchez are the faces behind the fashion brand, launched a decade ago. They believe in their dream, and turn it into a reality every day. They met at the Architecture Faculty of the University of Lisbon, from which they graduated in Fashion Design. Eventually, they combined their respective visions and soon realised that they had the perfect formula, with exactly the right amount of innovation and irreverence. Their career has won them several nominations and prizes: first place in the national final of the Smirnoff Fashion Awards in 1999 and

second place in the international final in New York in 2000; the Optimus Criador Revelação Prize in 2001; the Supermodel of the World Young Designer Prize in 2005; the Who’s Next Young International Project Prize in 2006; the Bread & Butter Upcoming Brand Prize in 2007; and a nomination for best designer at the Golden Globes in 2007, among others. They are a constant and noticeable presence at the Portuguese fashion weeks. In 2005 they presented their collection ‘Rainha das Rosas’ (Queen of the Roses, the third chapter of their story called ELA) in Haringsdorf, Germany, while in 2006 they took part in haute couture week in Paris, at the invitation of Portugal Fashion, with the collection ‘Seres Azuis’ (the second chapter of the story Júlia e o Touro Azul). This was followed by the collections ‘EUphyra’ and ‘Grand Final em 5 actos’ (the first and second chapters of the story EUphyra e USurA – Memórias de uma Medusa que queira voar). In 2010 they returned to the French capital to present the collection ‘Gentlewomen – O manifesto’ (the second chapter of the story Fightflowers). They have already achieved their main goal, having created a universally recognisable identity for their brand,

PREVIOUS Kiss Me Quick Kiss me Quick! Atelier Collection LEFT PAGE Narke, The story of a dress. Atelier Collection BELOW LEFT Blue Bull. Atelier Collection – Presented at Paris BELOW CENTER & RIGHT Euphyra Grand Final in 5 Act. Atelier Collection – Presented at Paris

DIRECTARTS showcase due to their belief in their vision and the perfect symbiosis between tradition and modernity, which they have woven into all of their collections in a logical and consistent way. There is a concept behind every piece. As enthusiasts for the fantastical and haute couture, they create brilliantly executed clothing with great attention to detail. Inspiration can come when they least expect it, but for the most part they explore the things that fascinate them and build a story around those references. The creation of characters for their pieces has already allowed them to gain a foothold in other media: they have produced costumes for theatre plays, ballets and film. Let us look at their creative process. The collection ‘Rainha das Rosas’ drew inspiration from a mixture of Queen Santa Isabel and the book Alice in Wonderland, with the Queen of Hearts. In the collections based on the chapters of the Fightflowers story, they were inspired by notable women in Portuguese history. Indeed, the duo has even dressed Barbie, on the 50th anniversary of the most famous doll in the world – their customers come in all different shapes and sizes. More recently, they put their own spin on what any self-respecting princess would want in her wardrobe: versatile clothing, distinctive and free. This gave rise to ‘Gold Star’ their autumn/winter 2012-2013 collection, and the beginning of a new tale. Here they present dress-coats influenced by the lines of aviator suits, which can be reworked easily and take on new shapes in seconds. This is the first chapter of a new story that promises much glamour for anyone who sees flying over the horizon as more than a pipe-dream. The Storytailors brand operates like a parent company, with two lines, ‘Narkë’ and ‘Atelier’. The latter focuses on designing elaborate, bespoke haute couture pieces. The designers devise and create a piece for a specific body type. The Narkë line is based on the idea of simplifying this same concept into a version that is more ready-to-wear. They believe that what makes an idea timeless is its functionality, so they do not think that they are limiting themselves by recreating fairytales. There is a very practical

aspect to these clothes, with their distinctive look. The first ten years were all about marking their territory, consolidating their concept and forging an artistic identity. This period also allowed the designers to mature in business terms. Having achieved these goals, the next step in this success story is to conquer new markets. Creativity stems from a great deal of experimentation, and this Portuguese brand is now aiming to reach markets that consume more, such as Canada and the US. It is with this goal in mind that they are setting up partnerships with established Portuguese industry, which has demonstrated its quality in the manufacture of footwear and clothing. The shop/studio in the Chiado district, at the heart of the Portuguese capital, is perfectly set up for the creations that it houses. Like each of the designers’ pieces, these walls also have a story. At one time the building was a warehouse for spices, silks and precious stones from the Orient, before becoming a printing house and finally an architect’s studio. Today it is a palace of irresistible garments. Recently, this space has also witnessed interesting artistic collaborations, and has become a place that seeks above all to build bridges between different art forms, and to enhance this exchange. João Branco and Luís Sanchez have decided to open the doors of their space and invite artists to devise projects to be exhibited there. The requirement is that they interpret the space or the imaginary world and language of the Storytailors – a language that the Storytailors have perfected over many years, and which now allows them to build a bridge with painters, sculptors, photographers and all those whose work is based on creativity. In this way, the walls of a studio that once stored pepper or cinnamon are now home to a number of exhibitions that promote the work of those who have art in their DNA. At present, there is a project curated by Raquel Vilhena (Directarts Editorial Director) which recognises the benefits offered by other perspectives, both for the space and for the artists themselves. It is proof that the global village we live in can be shared and can serve as a backdrop for tales that enchant everyone.

LEFT Storytailors – Luís Sanchez and João Branco BELOW LEFT TO RIGHT Gentlewoman. Atelier Collection Winter 2010 ⁄ Under My Skin. Atelier Collection Summer 2012 / Gold Star. Atelier Collection Winter 2012

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Liliana Lourenรงo a film without a script She lets herself be inspired by smells, colours and emotions, building them up stroke by stroke, drawing and filling with life her characters. www.vai-mas-volta.blogspot.pt

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here are certain truths that cannot be explained, but only felt; paths that do not follow a set route but, stone by stone, appear when a dream becomes real. Liliana Lourenço dreams her life, and in doing so she becomes fulfilled. Her pencil is steady and determined – a mark of someone who has come, seen and drawn. Her life reads like an unscripted film, a new indie-style production in which we see all the pieces that would allow the protagonist to devote herself to illustration fall into place. Every episode has come about organically, driven by a strong will. In this film, Liliana Lourenço would also have the advantage of being a heroine able to captivate the viewer with a discernibly sweet side, as well as another, deeper side – one that is almost too visceral. But this is not the mark of a dual personality; it is simply true in her art. Let’s look at her story. Rather than resorting to pen and paper to write down what she sees or feels, the illustrator has a 21st century-style picture diary. Her blog contains personal and professional confidences, with the common link being illustration. Here we are able to get acquainted with her most private self, with toys and animals exposing her weaknesses, fears and desires. “Some can be viewed as self-portraits, but they’re never consciously intended this way. Often it’s only when I finish a piece of work that I realise that I’ve depicted what I was feeling. I also end up illustrating scenes that are connected with people that I know, or just things that are happening around me.” She needs this medium in order to feel at ease, whether she is happy or sad; her drawings illustrate her frame of mind. “They’re like children’s drawings, but the figures appear crip-

pled. The aim isn’t to shock, but to express feelings.” Soon these reflections, which we can view online, will cease to be a purely personal project, as she is producing illustrations in a collaborative creative process with the artist António Jorge Gonçalves. A multi-faceted artist, Lourenço crosses between several styles and media. She likes to emphasise her more childlike and innocent side in her work for children, but there is also pleasure to be had in exploring her more feminine and vulnerable aspects. “I believe that the female body is very beautiful and delicate, but that it also has a powerful visual impact. It always has a weight to it that I do not perceive in the masculine form. It’s fun to shape and transform the characters and stories that come into my head in this way,” she reveals. Liliana Lourenço’s drawings come in different forms; these days, in fact, very young children are wearing her artwork. “I am designing illustrations for baby clothing, from newborns to two years old. It’s a new project, something different, with Kidzmoon, and I’m really enjoying it.” A few months ago the company contacted her through Facebook, praised her work and suggested a collaboration. She drew up proposals for T-shirts and babygros, but other items are already under consideration: “In this case I’m not drawing babies or crippled animals like I do on my blog, although I have put forward a proposal for a more irreverent line, a ‘dark’ baby style. I think it would be really fun, as it’s the parents who buy the clothes for their babies.”

Let the sunshine in Her drawings appear in children’s books and several textbooks, and on magazine covers, postcards and flyers. One day she re-

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ceived an invitation to bring a book by the writer Alice Vieira to life with her drawings. Their meeting was fated: “When I was little I didn’t like reading much, and I remember that my father gave me one of her books for Christmas. I loved it – so much so, that I re-read it a few years later.” She is currently working on illustrations for educational books by the publisher Editora Lidel, and is also collaborating with the Leya publishing group. O Pequeno Livro Que Emagrece (original English title The Little Book of Diet Help by Kimberly Willis), published by Lua de Papel, contains her work. When she is dreaming up drawings for young children she takes a trip back into her own past: “I have the chance to be a child once again. I can play with images and colours – it’s very creative. Ultimately, I have to love what I do in order to be happy with my work. I’m a real perfectionist.” Everything inspires her. She admits that she is very observant and alert to everything around her, but that there are certain things that wield an almost inexplicable influence: “The sun puts me into a mood that’s like always being in love. It makes me feel like illustrating. Colours, touching particular fabrics, smells, a certain tone of voice, a look – they all conjure up memories or help me to dream up scenes.” As inspiration is not always on tap and can strike when it is least expected, Liliana is never without a notepad and phone, so that she can jot down any ideas that might turn into drawings. “Sometimes I wake up having had an idea in my sleep, so I record them in my phone.” When she was a child her constant companions were a pencil and a blank sheet of paper; she would spend hours drawing.

She soon realised that these could be replaced by digital tools. “I spend a lot of my free time illustrating. It’s something that calms me down and puts me in a good mood. All the years that I spent drawing have made me what I now am.” And all this has happened naturally: the colourful drawings of a child have led to the woman of today. In Portalegre, Portugal, she studied Communication Design, but felt as though something was missing: “In my final year I opted for illustration. From the very first piece of work I did, I realised that I was in the right place and that this was what I wanted to do.” She worked as a graphic designer, but it did not make her happy. Along the way she learned a lesson: “I believe that it isn’t enough to want something and sit around waiting for it to happen. It’s vital to move towards what we want – we need to take risks and not worry about taking a fall or people laughing at us. When you believe in something and dare to pursue it, it can take some time, but things eventually happen.” Liliana derives so much pleasure from her work that she draws even when she is taking a break from a particular project, and her work spans many places and media. “This is quite a competitive market, but in my humble opinion there’s room for everyone. All of us have our strengths, our style and our own value.” If this film had an ending, it might very well be the classic and they lived happily ever after. This is how the protagonist sees her relationship with illustration: fulfilled, replete with new projects and achievements. It is hardly a surprising end to a story that has been full of inventiveness, and which has paid off in abundance.

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Toni

Grilo

the fluidity of forms Silver cutlery transformed into tables, chairs that seem to have come from other planets or mirrors that show us new perspectives. Ladies and gentlemen: a designer who stands out from the crowd. www.tonigrilo.com

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tools, bowls, vases, mirrors. The objects designed by Toni Grilo have varying formats and functions. The collection is so vast that the memory plays tricks; to try to identify the first design to spring from the designer’s hat would be a thankless task. There is one recollection that sticks: “I remember a penknife I made at school. It was 3 millimetres thick when closed, and fitted in a pocket or wallet; when it was open it gained 3 centimetres and was very practical. Meanwhile, I realised that having a weapon in my pocket could be dangerous and it actually stayed in my wallet from then on.” It was never more than a prototype, but it played its part. Some details are immortalised forever, and the fact that Toni Grilo enrolled in a course purely on the recommendation of a teacher should not be forgotten. Between the ages of 10 and 14, he spent his time drawing and painting, but without any thought of a career. His sketching was outstanding, impressing the school’s visual arts teacher so much that he did all he could to convince him to follow this path and not to close the door on something that came naturally to him. “Not knowing at that time what the word design meant, I thought I was going to a school where I just had to push a pencil about. And it was true, except that the drawing wasn’t the purpose but the representation of a project.” Was this teacher right? The reply says it all: “I’m still a designer today, I make a living from my work and I’m happy.” With Portuguese roots, he was born in France in 1979. He trained in Furniture Design and Interior Architecture at the prestigious École Supérieure Boulle in Paris. In 2001, he swapped the City of Light for Lisbon. “I think of myself as 100% Portuguese. I grew up

and studied in France, at a very demanding school where everything was rigid, everything had to be justified, restricted, intellectualised, criticised. In Portugal, I tasted the liberty of ‘simply doing’. It was a shock, because creating with nothing more than soul and intuition was permitted here.” Now he has projects in both cities and divides his time between them. He is currently developing furniture and objects for various brands and preparing a solo exhibition in a Parisian gallery. He will also create the scenography for a fair in the French capital and another in Lisbon. His market is rather more foreign than Portuguese, but this is not down to strategy. “It eventually became apparent that, as well as producing, it is important to have a brand and that Portugal has quality products to offer the world. We have great skills and I want to contribute as best I can to this revolution,” he explains determinedly. He doesn’t look for inspiration to create. It exists, but at a subconscious level. But how could it be that not even the Eiffel Tower had an influence on his work with iron? “I lived in Paris for years and I never went up the tower. Perhaps it’s more beautiful

PREVIOUS Bibendum chair, 2009 – Tools Galerie Paris – stainless Steel ABOVE Marie Table lamps, 2007 – Haymann – white carrara marble, polished aluminium and black cork

OPPOSITE TOP Vinco chair, 2007 – Corque – cork and stainless steel OPPOSITE CENTER Many Wolds chair, 2011 – Riluc – stainless steel and foam OPPOSITE BOTTOM Mousse table, 2010 – Riluc – stainless steel

DIRECTARTS applied ar ts to admire the work from some vantage point in the city, rather than to see the city from it.” Before starting to design a piece, he tries to understand the reason for creating it. He asks a lot of questions and even interrogates himself if there is a need to conceive something new: “I do a kind of psychoanalysis on the project until I know where the wound is, the point of intervention. I usually come out of a session with the solution already in my head and after that it’s all very quick.”

Silver cutlery rethought He has been working in his own studio since 2008, specialising in equipment design and artistic direction. A lot has happened over the course of seven years. He settled in Portugal to work for an agency and ended up organising workshops with international designers and schools and taking on the design of stands for the In’nova design fair in Lisbon. He returned to Paris, but only stayed there for a year to work with Radi Designers. Back in Lisbon, he created the Objection agency with designer Elder Monteiro, and in 2005 presented pieces in a solo exhibition - Dysfunction - in the Experimenta Design biennial. It was there that he came into contact with Brigitte Fitoussi - artistic director of Christofle - who invited him to design some silver pieces. “I’m grateful to them for giving a young unknown complete freedom to create a prestige collection. I’m aware of the risk they were taking; my work was a complete departure from the brand’s classicism.” The collection that Toni Grilo created was and continues to be a great international success, with sales and exhibitions throughout the world. “The audacity and the provocation I had at that time are not always welcome. You don’t ask a designer to question, even though, to my understanding, it is my duty to do precisely that before providing answers.” He considers himself to be versatile - chameleon-like - in adapting with ease to diverse projects, whether conceptual, for a gallery, or functional, for a factory. The pleasure comes precisely from working in opposing contexts. His only criterion is the pos-

sibility of developing good dialogue, “with honest and upright partners.” One day, an invitation to create came from the Portuguese company Corque, who use cork as a raw material. The Vinco chair emerged as a result of this. Day-to-day life in his studio in Lisbon is a long way from the glamour of the art world. “I’m basically an employee of my studio. I arrive early in the morning and sit down at the computer to write emails, make phone calls, type or draw lines on blank pages until the end of the day. It’s a serious job, with no extravagances. I have a strong character but I’m low profile, madness stays on the paper.” From Christofle in France to Riluc in Portugal, he has diverse clients for whom he has designed many pieces in metal. He likes working in this material, especially if it is shiny or polished to reflect its surroundings. “If I were an artist I’d say that I want to sculpt a deformed representation of the world. But I’m a designer and I come up with a chair to sit in, or a table to put objects on.” He has, as such, a practical vision of his activity: “Design is a plural, diverse discipline, each designer has their own methodology and the response differs according to the requirements of the project in question. I think it’s a shame that the media only promote auteur design, or the designer as an artist. Scarcely 1% of designers fit into this definition of design!” His work is dispersed throughout the world, whether in shops, where the brands he collaborates with are sold, or in galleries, such as Tools in Paris, Caroline Pagês in Lisbon or Show Me in Braga. And it extends to museums: a chair in MADE - the Évora Museum of Crafts and Design - and an installation in Malaga’s Automobile Museum. As for shapes, he doesn’t look for them and he doesn’t want to have a style. He commits himself to serving the project: his frame of reference can take him from Baroque to Minimalism. Toni Grilo aims for simplicity in his response. “For me, an object has to be obvious, independent. When discourse is necessary to justify its existence, there must be something wrong or unfinished about it.”

OPPOSITE Precious Famine table, 2005 – Christofle – Stainless Steel LEFT From chandelier, 2005 – Christofle – Stainless Steel (made with silver knifes) BOTTOM LEFT Twist Lounge Chair, 2012 – Haymann – Natural finished Oak BOTTOM RIGHT Cutting space mirror, 2012 – Haymann – Polished Stainless Steel

DIRECTARTS new talent

Tamara Alves Artist/Illustrator (Lisbon) 28 Age: Contact: tamara.alves@rocketmail.com Online: www.tamaraalves.com www.facebook.com/tamaraalvesartwork

amara Alves is a Portuguese artist, who graduated in Plastic Arts from ESAD (Escola Superior de Artes e Design) in 2006 at Caldas da Rainha , and completed a Master in Contemporary Artistic Practice at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Oporto, where she lives. The period she spent living in Birmingham, England as part of the Erasmus program was decisive to define a plastic language inspired by urban life. Making use of supports with multifaceted characteristics – from painting to illustration, from installations to performance.

Tamara is fascinated by “contextual” art, which is inserted in street and public spaces, ignoring conventional venues such as museums or galleries. In addition to the urban interventions and her installation pieces, Tamara’s paintings and illustrations are a mixture of technical drawing with the ink expression, the line meets with an accidental explosion of ink resulting in an antagonistic feeling of freedom.Since 2000 she has been taking part in several projects and group exhibitions such as the art showcase “Swatch MTV Playground 2009”, “Pampero Public Art 2010”, “A Quarta Pata”, among others.

PREVIOUS Starving histerical naked ABOVE LEFT My heart stops when I look at you ABOVE RIGHT I’m proud of my bruises LEFT Tell him that it’s human nature

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PREVIOUS Visionary Indian Angel Photographie by Nian Canard ABOVE Cool kids canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t die LEFT & ABOVE RIGHT La Muertta, Photography by Nian Canard

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Ana Abrantes Graphic designer (Lisbon) Age: 17 Contact: abrantes.m.ana@gmail.com

his young talent might only be in her second year studying graphic design at EPI (Escola Profissional de Imagem) in Lisbon, but is already showing a creative visual maturity that has professionals talking. “I especially like page layout design, which was great particularly when I was asked to participate in our school’s e_magazine.” Ana obvi-

ously has a natural artistic ability and this is vital to being a good graphic designer. You can only learn so much but you need that intrinsic ability to know what visually appeals and works for the look a graphic designer is trying to achieve. Often you will find Ana with her laptop in the most unconventional places bringing her design ideas to maturity.

LEFT Corporate Imaging for Galp Renewables OPPOSITE Self promo poster “Construtivismo”

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PREVIOUS e_magazine 3ยบ edition LEFT e_magazine 2ยบ edition BELOW Stationary Galp Renewables

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DIRECTARTS look

lpha gallery presents Daniela Ribeiro’s “My World – Sun, Moon and Earth”. In this particular collection, the artist depicts a dreamlike vision of the world, a mature consciousness raised from an uncontaminated point of view reminiscent of that of a child. Her large compositions immerse the viewer into another space, a ethereal atmosphere. We recognize the fiery colours of the sunset and the cool tones of the ocean, inspired by her childhood spent in Luanda. We gladly navigate within her world, lost in the Universe, surrounded by glittering and glistening planets, meticulously organised into a transcendent chromatic constellation. Her technique, complicated and physically very laborious, combines light with density, and the movement in the mixture of the materials allows the artist to explore new forms to depict these celestial presences. This exhibition can be visited from July 2nd until August 3rd at 23 Cork Street, Mayfair, London UK. For more information www.alphagalleryuk.com

pparitions – The photography of Gérard Castello Lopes 1956-2006 is the name of the exhibition patent until august 25th 2012 in the Foundation Calouste Gulbenkian in Paris. Conceived and organized by Jorge Calado, it’s composed by about 150 photos of the artist, some in several formats (from 4cm to 2meters), and illustrating his conceptions about scale. The exhibition will be completed by a series of portraits of Gérard Castello Lopes by other photographers (Augusto Cabrita, Carlos Afonso Dias, José M. Rodrigues, etc.) and by a set of personal items (cameras, books, records, appointment book). For more information www.gulbenkian-paris.org

he bookstore Fernando Machado is issuing a special edition of Joana Vasconcelos monograph for collectors. The book is accompanied by an original piece: a Heart of Viana, hand-made and based on the “Independent Heart” series. This exclusive edition is packed in a box similar to the ones the artist’s used to transport her pieces, properly identified with their characteristic color and logo. The edition presents the artist’s work since 1999 until today, in 364 illustrated pages, with more than 200 photos and sketches, accompanied by the texts of Raquel Henriques da Silva, Gilles Lipovetsky and Agustín Pérez Rubio. It can be bought at the Fernando Machado Bookstore (Rua das Carmelitas, 15, Oporto Portugal), online: www.1922lfm.com and in the main national and international book shops.

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Mato is a space idealized by sculptor Paulo Neves and conceived by the architect Fernando Coelho. When we enter this place we feel like spectators in the center of a cocoon where you observe metamorphoses of several creative processes in an unending string of latent imaginary universes, ready to blossom into a reality open to the most variable interpretations. Unique in Portugal, localized in the village of Cucujães in the northern part of the country and surrounded by nature, it was born from the desire to share the talent of emerging artists and to generate and interchange with international artists in a creative panorama, inviting the inhabitants of the urban centers to visit the woods where nature, architecture and art cohabit in full harmony. This exhibit, without theme, is composed by 120 national and international artists and can be visited until September. For more information www.paulonevesescultor.wordpress.com

ude presents this summer two unmissable exhibitions for all of those who come by Lisbon. Respectively, Classics of the Modern constituted by pieces of the Calouste Gulbenkian collection (open until September 2nd). Referring to design classics, icons of the modern movement, universally recognized and that marked the first decades of the XX century. This exhibit has 5 major cores: Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Gerrit Rietveld, Bauhaus e Alvar Aalto. All the pieces that integrate these cores are central for the understanding of modern thinking and design history.Until September 30th the exhibit Flea Market Treasures – the beauty of anonymous design will also be available. A collection by David Usborne, gathered at Feira da Ladra and other flea markets, it testifies the ancestral taste for collectionism, at the same time that it evidences the diversity of the design collections that diverge among each other for their intentions, concepts and purposes. For more information www.mude.pt

he Goat–Feet Lady is Paula Rego and Adriana Molder first international presentation of unpublished works at Casa das Histórias in Cascais, Portugal. The exhibition opens July 7 and will be patent until October 28. Under direct inspiration from the historical narrative by Alexandre Herculano, the two artists conceived simultaneously, a set of autonomous paintings in large formats, to be exposed in the room of temporary exhibitions. Paula Rego developed in this new cycle of works a splendor of the imaginary narrative, inspired by the tale of Alexander Herculano, with a total freedom of stroke and composition. Adriana Molder, a Portuguese artist residing in Berlin, has been developing a plastic figurative language with remarkable international success. In the drawings now presented, she builds powerful images in a psychology related synthesis of selected characters of the same tale. For more information www.casadashistoriaspaularego.com

nstants Volés is the exhibition, by Manuel d’Olivares, that the gallery New HeArt City at Haut Marais, in Paris presents this summer, taking us back to the tattooed urban surfaces, walls where you can read the identity of a city, of its population, of its culture, often overlapping the future and the past. Torn posters, stencils and writing in constant change, which many times we can only see for brief instants, leaving only engraved in your memory the few that caught your eye. The pieces of this exhibition are like records, through painting, eyes passing by urban surfaces, moments frozen in time, instants stolen from forgetfulness. The exhibition will be showing between june 23rd and september 10th. For more information www.dolivares.com or www.newheartcity.wix.com/new-heart-city

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CURATOR

CAPITALIST

VIEWER DEMOCRAT

Next Edition Autumn 2012

... we feature the world renown artist

Paula Rego

o look over Paula Rego’s body of work is to look over the landscape of women’s experience: desire, abortion, rape, female circumcision, childbirth, family relationships, dominating and being dominated by men; her masculine female figures are sometimes lonely, but usually fierce and often bent on revenge. Success came relatively late in life – a graduate of the Slade School of Art at a time when female artists were taught how to support and inspire their “superior” male artist partners (“women were good either for going to bed with or making good wives – particularly if they came with their own money and could support the men”.) Rego, now 76, was in her 40s before her first big solo exhibition, and in her 50s when she was nominated for the Turner prize. Although she was made a dame last year, Rego was born in Portugal and in 2009, Paula Rego – House of Stories, a gallery dedicated to housing her work, opened in Portugal. Germaine Greer, whose portrait by Rego hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, says, “No other artist has ever come close to capturing Rego’s sense of the phantasmagoria that is female reality.” Emine Saner – The Guardian