Exhibitions 2005-2014
(a selection)

DASHA SITNIKOVA. Close Proximity.
Castelo de Evoramonte, Evoramonte, Portugal. 23 September – 23 October 2014.
Media: Installation.
 
Through an installation of hundreds of paper tubes seemingly floating in space, Dasa Sitnikova (Russia) explored the relationship between physical presence and emotional distance. Visitors were invited to reflect on the subtle boundaries between intimacy and isolation.
See also the Dasha Sitnikova page and  this clip.

SALLY SAFFORD and INDIA FLINT.
Sete Filhas, Sete Irmãs (Seven Daughters, Seven Sisters).
Castelo de Evoramonte, Evoramonte, Portugal. 21 June – 18 August 2014.
Media: Painting and textile art.
 
This collaborative exhibition brought together paintings by Sally Safford (UK) and textile works by India Flint (Australia) in a poetic dialogue inspired by nature and human history.

ERIKA DAHLÉN. Qualia.
Palácio de Dom Manuel, Évora, Portugal. 22 April – 18 May 2014.
Media: Installation.
 
In this exhibition, Erika Dahlen (Sweden) explored how the subjective experience of perception shapes memory and our understanding of the world. A central element was a 30-metre-long mural made of cork strips that appeared to glow, thanks to fluorescent paint applied to the reverse side of each strip.
more info about this exhibition is on Qualia, by Erika Dahlen. 

HELENA AIKIN. The Labyrinth of Laxas las Rodas.
Jardim Público, Évora, Portugal. 1–30 August 2013.
Media: Installation.
 
A site-specific installation inspired by the labyrinth of Laxas las Rodas: a prehistoric rock carving found in Galicia, featuring a double spiral surrounded by dozens of small cup marks. Some researchers suggest that it may be a solar calendar, other assume it a ritual site that allows the visitor going to the centre, receive a message and walk back to daily life.
Helena Aikin (Spain) created her version of the labyrinth is the historic public garden of Évora.

BENTEN CLAY COLLECTIVE. Free Water.
Jardim Público, Évora, Portugal. 7–28 April 2013.
Media: Installation.
 
A temporary public installation addressing the universal importance of water as both a natural resource. The artists collective (Vera Hofmann and Sabine Schründer; Germany) questioned the privatisation of the public water supply network.

ANNEMIE BOGAERTS. Deambular…
Castelo de Evoramonte, Evoramonte, Portugal. 23 March – 21 April 2013.
Media: Floor mosaic.
 
Inside the castle Annemie Bogaerts (The Netherlands) created a monumental 15 × 15 meters mosaic with white marble sand on the red floor tiles. It was labyrinth with which the artist invited visitors to experience the exhibition space through movement and shifting perspectives.

NIEK TE WIERIK. Digging for Lightness.
Palácio de Dom Manuel, Évora, Portugal. April – May 2012.
Media: Sculpture and installation.
 
In this oeuvre exhibition, Niek te Wierik (The Netherlands) showed his paintings mostly inspired by light and shadow in the landscape.

SANDRA TRUJILLO. O Que Levamos (What We Carry).
Palácio de Dom Manuel, Évora, Portugal. May – June 2012.
Media: drawing.
 
Through two 30-metre-long drawings, Sandra Trujillo (USA) explored her fascination with the imagery of Alentejo’s traditional azulejos. At the same time, she used the visual language of these ceramic tiles to tell a deeply personal story: the memory of her migrant ancestors who, in her own words, “travelled, taking with them only a few personal belongings and their oral narratives.”
Inspired by Trujillo’s work, Mariana Passos (Portugal) wrote the short story História dos Homens em Tempo de Ornamentação, which was recited at the exhibition opening by Ana Rita Rodrigues (Portugal).

JACOBIEN DE ROOIJ and ERIK MATTIJSSEN. Estou Só a Ver (I Am Only Looking).
Igreja de São Vicente, Évora, Portugal. April 2011.
Media: Drawing and painting.
 
A dialogue between two Dutch artists centred on observation, perception and the act of looking. They presented large-scale drawings, paintings and murals depicting scenes from everyday life, including the flea market in Estremoz and the living room of a friend.

DE FAMILIE. Homeland.
Zorra Produções Artísticas. Evora, Portugal. May 2012.
Mixed media.
HOMELAND was the result of a group residency, with participation of Vincent van Delft, José Grasso, Peter Bremer, Sibylla Weisweiler, Yvonne Halfens, Nico Huijbregts, Miranda Train e Bram van Dam

ELLEN WARFIELD. A terra está sorrindo (The Earth is smiling)
Sociedade Harmonía Eborense, Evora, Portugal. 25 May – 15 June 2011
Media: photogaphy
 
Ellen Warfield presented photos of nature taking back abandonned marble quarries . “In quiet abandoned spaces we can see Mother Nature’s gentle sense of humor and generosity in making fun with our human wishes. This exhibition is not about how we see nature, but about how nature sees us.”

TYLER SNAZELLE. It´s my nature.
Sociedade Harmonía Eborense, Evora, Portugal. 16 August – 16 September 2011
Media: photogaphy
 
During her residency at Foundation OBRAS Tyler Snazelle (USA) was exploring her personal relationship with nature. She makes self-portraits, often in action. These portraits are made in isolated places with just nature and herself. Her arrangements refer to vulnerability, self-confidence and memories to her childhood. Body and mind, and being one with nature are important subjects.

LUC VAN DER VELDE. Nostalgia.
Igreja de São Vicente, Évora, Portugal. June 2010.
Media: paintings and installations.
 
With this exhibition Luc van der Velde (Belgium) reflected on memory, passage of time, and unconsciousness.

CLAIRE WATSON. Tree of Life.
Jardim Público, Évora, Portugal. June 2010.
Media: Public art.
 
A temporary public artwork created by Claire Watson (Australia) specifically for the Jardim Público in Évora. Referring to the biblical Tree of Life in Paradise, she suspended a wide variety of fruits—including bananas, strawberries and grapes—from the branches of a tree, transforming it into a vibrant symbol of abundance, temptation and renewal.

RENÉ COELHO. Os Espaços do Tempo
Igreja de São Vicente, Évora, Portugal. March – April 2009.
Media: photography and installations.
 
The perception of time was the central theme of this exhibition by René Coelho (The Netherlands). He approached time and space in a philosophical way: by leaving behind the notion of clock time, we enter a kind of time machine — a world of illusion, contemplation and meditation.
The artist presented several thousand photographs, but these should be seen less as individual images, and more as the brushstrokes of a painting, or the leaves of a tree.

PATRICIA LOUCKS, CLÁUDIA BRANCO and MIGUEL TOMÁS. Escritas em Seda e Prata. Convento das Servas de Cristo, Borba, Portugal. June 2009.
Media: textile art, jewellery
 
A collaborative exhibition featuring Patricia Loucks (Canada), who presented abstract embroidery on silk inspired by nature, alongside Cláudia Branco and Miguel Tomás (Portugal), who showed silver jewellery.

Jenö István Kovács. Movimento pelo Mármore. 10 November – 19 December 2008
CEVALOR, Centre for Science and Technology. Borba, Portugal.
Media: paintings, sculptures
 
Statement of István Kovács (Hungary):  “A long time ago, on the mysterious blue planet called Earth, teeming with a myriad of forms of life, alchemists carried out most of their experiments using virgin soil and sand. They believed these elements contained all the seeds of existence. From this stardust, humanity has built houses, dams, and waste. As an artist, I seek to reverse these creations, returning them to their original state of galactic existence.”

OBRAS: ARTE
Claustro of the town hall of Estremoz. 13 – 26 June 2008
Media: paintings, sculptures, collages, poems, dance
 
Collective exhibition of OBRAS residents: with Janice Fuller (Poet, USA), Anne McMahon (photographer; Ireland 1), Jee Won Kim (Dancer, choreographer; South Korea) 2. Helga Eibl (Visual artist; Austria), Katalin Nagy (Visual artist; Hungary, Jenö István Kovács (Visual artist; Hungary), Patricia Loucks (Textile artist; Canada), Sally Stafford (Painter; UK) 3, Janet Pierce (Visual artist; Ireland) 4, and Fritska van Dorsten (sculptor; The Netherlands.
 
1 Anne McMahon had a parallel exhibition in the Igreja S. Vicente in Évora.
2 Jee Won Kim gave a dance performance at the opening of this exhibition.
3 Sally Stafford had a parallel exhibition at Café Ate Jazz in Estremoz.
4 Janet Pierce has a parallel exhibition at Galeria Há Arte no Giraldo in Évora.

DIANE DYCKHOFF. Luzes na Paisagem.
Igreja de San Vicente, Évora, Portugal. 10 November – 5 December 2007
Mixed Media.
 
Diane Dijckhoff (The Netherlands) drew inspiration from the dried plants and pieces of dead rockrose wood, whose twisted shapes often evoked fairy-tale figures. Even more, however, she became fascinated by the night sky above the Alentejo. She created a series of graphic prints, some of which she perforated to allow light to shine through them, creating a star-like effect.
Inspired by Diane Dijckhoff’s work, Ria van den Brandt wrote the story The Coming of the Blood Coral Sky Man, which was published as a book under the subtitle: A Fairy Tale from the Starry Land of the Alentejo.

Interactiv
Palacio de D Manue, Evora, Portugal. 22 April- 31 May 2005
Media: drawing, painting, installation
With André Groothuizen, Henk van den Bosch, Ienke Kastelein, Isabel Ferrand, Jan Ros, Jan van Asbeck, Kostana Banovic, Monique Kwist, Robbie Cornelissen, Roland Sohier, Saskia Jetten, Tanja Smeets (The Netherlands).
 
All artists had a narrative approach to reality, using metaphors and layered meanings, 
often balanced on the edge of surrealism. Most artworks are an exploration of mental space. Some seem to be the pep talk of a Don Quixote, while others are snapshots of an illusion, a desire or a fear.