28th OCT > 4th NOV 2023 AT OFICINAS DO CONVENTO
The Sol de Pouca Dura exhibition is the first result of the artistic residency at Oficinas do Convento, organised by the 12 artists taking part in the Seeds – Means for a Sustainable Art Practice project. This project is a partnership between the Quinta das Relvas Association (Branca, Portugal), Oficinas do Convento (Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal), Rural Contemporánea (Monfero, Spain) and Chorus (Elefsina, Greece) and
gives young artists from the three countries the opportunity and resources to explore means, tools and materials for a more sustainable art practice that is attentive to the world around us.
Throughout October, the 12 artists lived and worked in the Oficinas do Convento (OC) spaces, navigating between the Convento de S. Francisco, the Ceramics Research Centre and the Telheiro to produce works that use the earth according to different methodologies, forms and conceptual perspectives.
During the first week, four workshops were given by experts invited by Oficinas do Convento, who shared their knowledge about collecting and processing natural clay, using earth as a material for architecture and sculpture, 3D printing and ceramic sculpture, culminating a few weeks later with the firing of the pieces with locally collected wood.
Based on the knowledge acquired, the artists produced the works presented in this exhibition, which is on show at the Convento de S.Francisco in Montemor-o-Novo until 3 November.
Having given the artists total creative freedom, what they show us is a multiplicity of plastic expressions and applications of the earth in installations, videos, sculptures and fermented food, almost always combining other materials harvested, recycled or appropriated from the spaces of the OC and its surroundings. In this sense, they were challenged to develop or adapt their work to the specific space of this convent, taking advantage of its rooms, arcades, terrace, plants, cloister and well to install their work.
This strategy is in line with the idea of art and sustainability, understood as a symbiotic relationship with the context in which it is produced, which uses materials that are close to the environment and have a low environmental impact, thinking about and committed to the future of this place, its people (residents or passers-by), and the landscape that we bequeath to those who will come after us.
João Rolaça
