An Insightful Afternoon at the Art Gallery
When I first entered the old attic space in Bairro Alto through a steep staircase, I couldn’t help but notice the pleasant smell of the wooden ceiling mixed with an oily scent from the paintings. The place I visited was an art gallery showcasing numerous exhibits from different artists, organized by the collective “Artperitivo,” who had also picked the stylish location. As I entered the exhibition rooms, it turned out my senses did not fail me. Most of the paintings were oil paintings, while some others were photographs. Among my favorite artworks were the ones by John Berry and Jo Kitchen. The strong colors and playful shapes appealed to me immediately. Even though the paintings turned out to be way out of my price range for now, I could well picture myself buying one of these in the future if I had the chance.
After gazing at some more paintings, I took a right turn and discovered a couple of new exhibits that were unlike the others. Just as with the oil paintings, they were very colorful, even using neon nuances, making them impossible to be passed by unnoticed. However, what really set these pieces apart was their method of manufacture. They were not paintings in a classical manner with real paint on them. Instead, the artist, Lisette van Hoogenhuyze, stitches textile materials onto the canvas with the use of a portable sewing machine. What impresses me most about this technique is that it adds a whole new dimension to the apparel of the work. In comparison to other artists, her work is more three-dimensional since the textile materials can be applied in a thicker fashion. Apart from that, the conceptualization and design stages of these paintings must be fundamentally different than for traditional ones. Having a variety of wools, cotton, and other fabrics in the desired colors and quality is essential to the aesthetic of the final artwork and requires careful planning. For me, it is the combination of strong colors, a fashionable motive, and the more physical nature of the art that fascinates me.
When I got home from the gallery visit, I felt happy and thankful for an interesting experience, which came as a pleasant break from my university work. As I was scrolling through the pictures I had taken earlier, I found myself wondering. I was thinking about how different the lives of the artists must look compared to mine, how different their daily life is, and what made them go down the risky path of being an independent artist. I concluded that I would not have had the guts to pursue such a risky career, but at the same time, I found myself admiring them for following their passion and for having the courage to bet on themselves. With the feeling that I am just too security-seeking and also not talented enough (maybe also as a justification for myself) to follow a similar path, I went to bed.
It was only two weeks later that I got to meet a Nigerian woman in the wake of a university project, who had migrated to Portugal just months earlier. I remember well how amazed I was by her positive energy, creative drive, and energy to build when we first met. After meeting her, I had to think back to the exhibition. I thought that it is probably exactly this kind of spirit that drives people to pursue what they are passionate about. Moreover, I thought about how all the challenges that naturally accompany coming to a new country can also be a facilitator for entrepreneurial spirit and, more generally speaking, any form of creation. Obviously, not all people migrating can become famous artists, but that is not the point. It is more a question relating to the mindset. A person who has come such a long way for whatever reasons and encountered so many challenges surely has the mindset of a builder. This building might take on various forms but is for sure valuable to any society from both an economic and cultural perspective, I concluded.
