Portugal: Expressions of Contemporary Art

collective exhibition of works by Portuguese artists:
Francisco Urbano, Carla Taveira, José Cunha, Florentina Resende & Maria Rafael

Private View: Friday 10th of July 2009 – 6 pm to 11 pm
Exhibition runs from: Friday 10th to 23rd of July 2009
Gallery Opening Hours: Fri, Sat, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs: 2.30 pm – 6.30 pm
Last day of Exhibition: Thurs 23rd of July: 11.00am to 5.00pm

This forthcoming exhibition aims to bring the UK closer to current trends of Portuguese contemporary art. These five artists echo trends and styles from masters of the past but approach them in very individual and modern ways. These artists have brought contemporary art to the forefront of the Portuguese art world by pushing their ideas and methods to previously unexplored areas. All five have unique styles and techniques however their shared Portuguese heritage provides a common thread through their work. This common thread is what sets these artists apart form other modern artists as it provides a very unique and rich influence from which to work from. Bringing this exhibition to the UK will provide a window to the most current developments in contemporary art from artists that are making an impact on the movement itself. Outlined below are the five individual artists:

Francisco Urbano: “In the work of Francisco Urbano there is a curious and rich combination of elements. The synthesis of these is the ability to transform each work in a particular fantastic realism that is just amazing in itself.” – Oscar D’Ambrosio

Carla Taveira: “Her works have always attracted many people’s interest due the materials she uses within her pieces of artwork. Departing from established aesthetic forms, Carla Taveira uses unusual materials that immediately arouse the interest of the spectator. On closer inspection of the works one discovers that the layered textures are made up of such as gum, resin and recycled resources.”
José Rodrigues Figueira – Mayor of Vendas Novas City

José Cunha: “Researching the balance of forces is the key to understanding the work of Cunha who, by using diverse material and colours, tries to rebuild a lost order. He uses paper, card and plastic to reach a balance between chromaticism and volume and to experiment with shape, spaces and emptiness” – Gianni Nappa

Florentina Resende: “The artist has full conscience that to research and dominate the colour is much more than just an exercise. It is an act that leads to the knowledge of one self and, mainly, it unveils new paths by the juxtaposition of colours and the passages that they provide.” – Oscar D’Ambrosio

Maria Rafael: Under the immense black, before the opaque straightforwardness of nothing, one can see structures, columns which bear the opacity of dreams, the materiality of the blood and cartilages, chunks of earth and smashed branches, the oil of shy nudity, an architecture of earth and of dreams, a graphic progress and a geometry of chromatic and biological coordinates – we are, thus, before a vigorous and consequent recovery of what is hidden and discreet, of balance and containment, of an imperative silence and a cosmic whisper. – Jorge Velhote

Nearest Buses from Brixton/Camberwell: 35 (From Clapham Junction), 45 (From Kings X), 345 (From Sth Ken to Peckham), P4 (Brixton to Lewisham) Nearest Train: Loughboroug Junction (Thames Link via King X to Sutton)