I draw inspiration for my artwork from my observations and reflections on the Portuguese context, which I examine from what I consider a privileged experience. I was lucky to have been born into a united, humble, and simple family, with a strong connection to the land, a taste for eating what they grew, and a very grounded notion of healthy living in communion with nature. Having grown up with these values, I often found myself questioning my peers for their lack of consideration for nature and their failure to embody essential human characteristics.
I began by reflecting on the beginning of society as we know it, grounded on the need to guarantee essential goods. Followed by the advent of artificial materials used in modern construction, rapid development without adequate planning, and laws designed to control population growth through fear and misinformation about the unknown, our society faces unprecedented challenges. We have built a society with regulations, duties, and rights based on the thinking of a privileged class simply because they were born with that power or with certain persuasive aptitudes to submit others to their will, which we often follow with a false sense of fair order.
In our pursuit of instant gratification and material wealth, we have forsaken the peace and harmony of a life in tune with nature for a hollow and artificial existence, built on rampant consumerism and pollution. In short, my work explores the varied aspects of human behaviour and the construction of this western European society in which I find myself living. It questions the artificiality and rigidity of the materials and shapes of our buildings, in contrast to the natural shelters of the rest of the animals on our planet. In doing so, I explore the essential nature of comfort and its role in fostering a more complete and authentic human experience. Through my art, I seek to engage with the multifaceted nature of the human experience, from the joys and sorrows of daily life to the more abstract issues of secrecy and relational balance.
From the outset, my artistic perspective has been imbued with a critical eye toward society and its structures. Rather than solely targeting our over-stimulated visual sense, which is already inundated with a constant stream of stimuli, I invest in an installation that appeals to the other senses we possess and allows for a greater dimension in the act of feeling. Given the limitations of vision, which is constantly bombarded with virtual stimuli and can make the human experience more susceptible to manipulation, it is important to engage other senses such as touch, smell, and hearing in works that require proximity and interaction with the public. This can be achieved through installations, performances, and sculptures, promoting reflection on the experience and enhancing shared growth and knowledge. By emphasizing a social dimension, this approach values the collective experience and encourages a deeper engagement with the art.
For example, the artwork Birth Aware uses the shape of a large cocoon and an attractive appearance to draw in viewers, upon entering, they find themselves in a cozy, white, peaceful, and isolated space that represents a safe haven. The work compares the artificial form and materials of our buildings to the natural shelters of other animals, highlighting the contrast between them. Furthermore, it also questions the true comfort we feel today, often translated by excessive materialism instead of a necessary deep and spiritual introspection to feel healthy and complete.
Following this concept, I developed the work Autobiography, consisting of suggestions of comfortable positions that I embrace in exchange for a comfortable low mattress position on the floor, to reflect on why human beings need to call themselves superior and elevate themselves, disguised by ergonomic issues.
In my latest works, I propose an incessant search for the roots of our current societal situation, our continued conformity, and its embellishment. The work Disguise falls upon visible imprisonment, beautified and ignored in its function by its user, who is constantly distracted and manipulated by lives absent from its premise. Revealing an analogy with life in Western society and the developed world of the 21st century, it consists of a performative object, where performers sit inside the spirals hanging from tree trunks, distracted by virtual stimuli, caged by archetypes and political and social structures.
I have expanded my artistic investigation to encompass the concept of invisibility, exploring its many facets including the political, social, historical, and spiritual. While my exploration is not restricted to these themes, they provide a vast and diverse spectrum for me to delve into.
As I developed this body of work, I explored a range of materials and techniques that captivated me throughout the creative process. My artistic process often involves the generation of an initial idea or concept that expands as I experiment with diverse media. Through the use of eclectic materials, I am able to materialize and share the intentions of my work with the public. At times, the very material used in creating an artwork forms an integral part of the concept. In the artwork I Origins, the materials used are integral to the concept. Glycerine, the primary component of soap, contains oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, which are essential to the origin of life. Honey, produced by bees, provides color to the piece. The materials come together to form a cradle, which is progressively destroyed during a performance. Participants wash their hands, wearing out the cradle and creating an analogy with environmental degradation. The artwork highlights our role in this degradation and the urgent need for change.
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