ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is about human suffering and the disconcerting impotence of its victims. I’m referring to the unavoidable torment of violence, hunger, injustice, discrimination, unequal opportunities, human exploitation, and so on.
The world today, the height of helplessness, the peak of abandonment.
How is it possible that human trafficking exists (for paedophilic, prostitution or slavery purposes), with so many lives stolen? How can today’s society have so many safety loopholes that atrocities like these become so well implemented that they become profitable businesses? Deep down inside, what has been the fictitious evolution of current societies since the freak-show circuses, so well portrayed in David Lynch’s “The Elephant Man” (1980)?
And all the life lost by the victims of these crimes…
Combining characteristics of different countries in one same work, I intent to make it hard to find out on which city are we on. A telephone number from New York city written on a basalt wall (very common on the islands of volcano formation, where houses are built with that rock) – Madeira, Azores), next to a poster of the National Portrait Gallery (London) is one of the examples that illustrates this intention (fig.7). What city are we in? None in particular yet all in general. Because there is only one human dignity and disrespect for it leads to the suffering of any individual.
Art is a universal language and therefore one of the best ways to communicate. Maybe even the best. It certainly is the most beautiful one. Be it through my paintings, drawings, videos or transformed photographs, my work is an extension of reality, condensing various problems on the same surface and giving voice to those who are unable, or do not know how, to defend themselves. The geographic location in which we are born; a specific inheritance or genetic predisposition; a childhood with education and socialization, although these are all circumstantial, they define us as individuals, playing a decisive role in all of our existence.
If we take into account the overwhelming amount of abandoned children in institutions, waiting to be adopted, as well as the increasing amount of horrifying cases of children who die as a result of violence inflicted upon them by their own parents, it’s clear that the system doesn’t work. There is an urgent need to implement a socio-educational awareness plan strengthened with a strong dose of humanitarianism. (It’s the parents themselves, the only people genetically programmed to love us, who are the protagonists of the most hideous crimes!)
The overwhelming majority of criminals and violent individuals have a disastrous past, themselves victims of a deficient childhood. In other words, in most cases, someone who has suffered abuse is very likely to become an abuser. Based on how childhood experiences affect adult behaviour, it is imperative that all human beings, from the day they are born, feel protected and supported in various respects and in a stable family environment where they receive all the love and understanding that is fundamental for good development.
I believe this may be the formula for a better world where crime and behavioural dysfunctions are rare, almost inexistent. Education and health are the two main mottos for a future that is free of violence and a precursor of human dignity.
Therefore, my main interest lies in showing how certain aspects, which are beyond our will and decision, can easily interfere and destroy our freedom/happiness. Even in an evolved society, one hundred years from now, it won’t have happened. Evolution is a slow and painful process and many get left behind, without a voice. Art has an educational, cultural and documental role and may be the only mark to remain in honour of those who lost everything, victims of a fallible system that was unable to protect them.
The circus is consistently present in my paintings. I find there is a perfect analogy between the circus and our world. Using bright colours and figures with haggard expressions, I aim for the initial impact of my work to be pleasing in aesthetic terms. Once the details are discovered, however, this becomes superfluous and the strength and irony of the messages take over.
Graffiti and stencil are also often represented in my work, as I can relate my way of thinking to that of a huge amount of artists who use techniques that are different from mine but use the same space in time.
I greatly admire their work that raises awareness and reaches many who do not visit museums or galleries and for this reason, and others, lack access to culture.
I’m part of a generation that is not very different to others. This one also seeks better days for humanity. It also has a voice that expresses itself the best it can.
Bairro Alto in Lisbon, one of the places preferred by young people and adults, is over-flowing with ideas, reflections, and opinions. It’s not just art that changes from person to person. People also change thanks to art. And if man can be an artist, may he bring to life the best of each human being, through his work.
“Sometimes I wish I was like Rosa Luxemburgo, who walked the streets crying and feeling sorry for people. (…) I feel so sorry for people. Their lives, which are usually incredibly sad.” - António Lobo Antunes, Chronicle - “Uma carta a Sherlock Holmes”.