MEET THE ARTIST: Carolina Piteira
Art and culture has always been at the center of her life. Tell us how this lifelong passion for the art world began. What are the most extraordinary points?
I always liked painting and I always knew I wanted to be a painter, since I was a little girl. At the age of 9 I had a serious accident that forced me to be bedridden for several months. Prevented from moving, one of the few things I could do was paint and draw lying down. In those moments I was traveling to other places, the power of imagination is extraordinary. And of course, it was practically a crash course in drawing!
He stated in an interview that “art is communication and history. I am a storyteller.” What are the stories you want to tell in your extraordinary pieces? What topics do you want to communicate to the public?
I discover the stories in my day to day life, so they vary a lot. However, I believe that there are experiences that are transversal to human beings, experiences that are sometimes the simplest, but that bring us closer together and that is what I try to represent.
In your “atelier” you work on several projects simultaneously: how many works do you currently have “in progress”? Are there any that are presenting specific challenges that you would like to share?
We always have several works in different stages of development, it is difficult to count because it is always changing. I don't know if I can point to any work that is being particularly challenging, it's something that changes every day. Many of these challenges I already see as part of the process and as an opportunity to revisit a framework and transform it.
Concern about climate change was always present in her life, but after experiencing pregnancy, this concern gained greater proportions. What challenges have you been encountering when talking about climate change?
With further research on the subject, I gained greater knowledge and perception on the subject and therefore I feel that I am much more attentive and aware of what is happening, not only locally but in a global context.
He lives between Lisbon and London, two cities with different possibilities. How has your experience been? What are the major differences that make sense between these two Cities?
London is a metropolis full of life and cultures, and offers immense opportunities for inspiration. I meet so many diverse people, and that helped me to gain other perspectives and get to know other realities. Lisbon is starting to gain some of the openness and multiculturalism of London but at a slower pace, which allows more time to absorb these novelties and think about them better. The experience is very different, it is neither better nor worse in any of the cities.
He has been working in the art world for some time now. Which artists have inspired you? What is your advice for young artists who are currently taking their first steps in this market?
The artists who inspire me, and I'm always discovering new people, inspire me for different reasons in their work. For example, Anselm Kiefer's works inspire me for their texture and the representation of an uncomfortable memory, while David Hockney's works interest me more for their color. On a totally different note, I admire the sensual daring of Pipilotti Rist's video installations and the immersive way in which he presents his work. Another example, a little more contemporary, is Njideka Akunyili Crosby, for her work in color, texture and very rich combination of materials, and for the representation of the female condition and the idea of identity in such a unique perspective. On the national scene, I have followed the work of Bordallo II for a long time, whom I admire for his message and the way he uses such different materials to create his pieces. For young artists starting out, the only advice I have is not to give up, there's room for everyone!
If you had the possibility to choose a work of art for your “personal collection”, what would it be?
It's almost impossible to choose just one, but I think I would choose any painting from Paul Gauguin's series of women from Tahiti.
Finally, which artist do you dream of working with one day?
What inspires me and I really enjoy doing my work is collaborating with people from different areas. I had the opportunity to do so at the exhibition "Out of time" on display at the Electricity Museum, "Dear India" in Chiado and "Behind the red curtain" in London, and would love to continue to have the opportunity to work and learn from artists from different fields.
