CiReine, who featured me as an Artist of the Week back in 2025, arranged a private studio visit of ten visitors to meet me and see my work last Friday. I think the timing was just right as the curation for the visit both thematically and chronologically came together to begin to introduce where my practice is heading.
We had a great turn out, and in Lisbon, it was an afternoon of swapping stories and experiences of transnational connections and disconnections in relation to how contemporary global movement and migration might be changing our views of the concept of home. If this is a topic of interest, please visit my current project Weaving Home Elsewhere for more information.
I don’t have the right words to express the gratitude I feel to have met Jennifer and Geraldine! Thank you for your dedication to connecting artists in Lisbon, for listening to the artists you’ve met and finding ways to get our work seen, and for introducing our works to a wider audience!
What great news that my little Vanitas II painting made it through to the Jackson’s Extended Longlist this year! Thank you @jacksons_art_prize!
The Vanitas series explores the quiet passage of time through intimate artifacts—mirrors, fabrics, heirlooms, and organic materials—that bear the marks of use, care, and change. These still lifes consider memory, identity, and ageing through both subject and process, honouring impermanence and the traces time leaves on objects and bodies.
Jennifer and Geraldine from CiReine invited me to be a featured artist of the week along with a burgeoning group of emerging artists in Lisbon. They visited me in my studio, we chatted over tea, Geraldine took some great photos, and afterwards they asked me to answer the “5Qs” for their Instagram. A lovely way to spend the afternoon – what great luck that Jennifer and Geraldine found me!
What an exciting surprise to receive an email from Jackson’s Art Prize notifying me that of the 4/5 of my Mum’s House (2024) paintings made it through to the 3158 works selected in the Extended Longlist this year!
I’m back in my atelier in Lisbon after two months in Singapore. It was a rather productive two months of painting, seeing South-East Asian art, meeting artists, and spending time with friends and family.
I was invited by multidisciplinary artist Dana Lam to present my January project, Mum’s House (2024), during her open studio event at Goodman Arts Center, as part of the Singapore Art Week 2024 programme. A huge thanks to Dana and everyone who came to see our works in progress! The discussion and feedback has sparked connections and further directions for my painting: in particular, how my experience of home and identity are also inherently linked to permanence and impermanence. I suspect there will be more on this in the future.
Dana Lam in her studio at Goodman Arts CenterDana Lam: There Can Never Be Too Many Flowers, 2024.
As such, the break away from my studio has been invigorating and I’m ready to get back to some halted paintings as well as some new projects that have been brewing in my mind. I started today by getting my hands dirty making some leaves using polymer clay. The first exploratory batch is about to go in the oven.
2024 will also look a little different as Atelier do Tijolo will be open to the public by appointment only. This decision is to accommodate my working patterns and also for attending more events and workshops. I still welcome studio visits, so please do email me or message +351 913896919 if you’d like to drop by and see what I’m working on.
I’m so pleased to have several small paintings showing in the Pequenos Formatos, 2024 exhibition at Galeria Monumental, opening this Friday. A democratic exhibition of 300 artists, in which all works are sold at €60.
Galeria Monumental Campo dos Mártires da Pátria 101, 1150-227 Lisboa, Portugal Friday 20th, 18:00 – 21:30 Saturday 21st, 15:00 – 20:00 Sunday 22nd, 15:00 – 19:30
8 paintings from “Mum’s House” (2024) have been selected and sent off to Hong Kong! They will be showing in the “Hong Kong Portfolio” exhibition at the esteemed photographer Almond Chu‘s studio!
Exciting news! I’ll be showing in a group exhibition in London and I’d love it if you could come…
Held in two extraordinary, derelict Victorian buildings, Do Not Swallow is a provocative invitation to art-lovers to take a bite, chew and savour the content of the artworks on display, before digesting them in one of the largest exhibitions of its kind in London.
The selected works by more than 60 acclaimed international artists, painters and sculptors. Too often, we are expected to swallow anything, gulping down ‘fake news’ or partial information as if they were the whole truth. The exhibiting artists – a collective from Turps Banana Art School, London – believe that a good meal should not be unconsciously swallowed. It’s time for a redress.
MENU ACROSS THE EXHIBITION ROOMS
Consumption: These artists indulge in a banquet. They consume resources in a manifestation of abundance. Swallow down quickly. Mastication: These artists chew on those hard to define truths. Forms get stuck in the throat, all jumbled up, eventually coalescing into a distinct flavour. Chewy yet tasteful. Poison: These do not shy away from difficult and painful subjects, addressing personal or societal problems. Ingestion can cause illness or death. Nourishment: These focus on the hopeful, the beautiful and the resplendent. They find inspiration in the appetizing world. A pleasant enrichening plate.
The exhibition will be open during the week of 19th-24th September, 2023 and you are cordially invited to the Private View at 19:00-21:00 on Friday 22nd September, 2023.
I hope to see you there! Jen x
Post exhibition update 30/09/2023: It was a wonderfully eclectic exhibition! I am amazed at how we managed to pull off a physical exhibition of about 60 artists, spread cross the globe. The thing that I most enjoyed was how varied the work was, nothing cookie-cutter, a real painter’s exhibition. It was a shame it was only on for a week, but there are the beginning whiffs of doing another next year… In the meantime, some documentation of the event!
EN: Atelier do Tijolo is proud to present: The stories of Portugal in the macramé works of Ana Rita Carvalho!
PT: O Atelier do Tijolo tem o orgulho de apresentar: As histórias de Portugal nas obras de macramé da Ana Rita Carvalho!
Step into Ana Rita Carvalho‘s world of Portuguese stories through her hand-woven creations. Each piece is carefully crafted, inviting you on a journey of imagination and storytelling.
Her macramé works reflect Portugal’s rich history and culture, with every knot and detail conveying unique stories. Like chapters in a book, her creations unfold, revealing layers of meaning and emotion, serving as a visual language that resonates with each observer.
Ana Rita breathes life into her works with every twist of the cord, connecting you to the tales interwoven within each delicate knot.
Visit Atelier do Tijolo to discover the magic of Ana Rita Carvalho’s narratives, where threads intertwine to create beauty and meaning.
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Ana Rita, a long-time Alfama resident and neighbour of Atelier do Tijolo, is being showcased in the gallery beginning 5th August, 2023.
Atelier do Tijolo is a working artist studio and gallery space, with a focus on exhibiting the creative process and development, alongside final works. Atelier do Tijolo is open to the public on weekends and public holidays between 10:00-16:00. Alternatively, send an email or call +351 913896919 to make an appointment.
Entre no mundo de histórias portuguesas da Ana Rita Carvalho através das suas criações em macramé. Cada peça é cuidadosamente trabalhada, convidando-o a embarcar numa jornada de imaginação e narração.
As suas obras em macramé refletem a rica história e cultura de Portugal, com cada nó e detalhe transmitindo histórias únicas. Como capítulos de um livro, as suas criações desdobram-se, revelando camadas de significado e emoção, servindo como uma linguagem visual que ressoa com cada observador.
A Ana Rita dá vida às suas obras a cada torção do cordão, conectando-o às histórias entrelaçadas em cada delicado nó.
Visite o Atelier do Tijolo para descobrir a magia das narrativas da Ana Rita Carvalho, onde os fios se entrelaçam para criar beleza e significado.
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A Ana Rita, residente de longa data em Alfama e uma vizinha do Atelier do Tijolo, estará em destaque na galeria a partir de 5 de agosto de 2023.
O Atelier do Tijolo é um estúdio de trabalho para artistas e espaço de galeria, com foco na exposição do processo criativo e desenvolvimento, juntamente com as obras finais. O Atelier do Tijolo está aberto ao público nos fins de semana e feriados, das 10h às 16h. Alternativamente, envie um e-mail ou ligue +351 913896919 para marcar um horário.
I’ve had a few people ask me “When will you have silver wearables available?” and I think the answer deserves a bit of blog space.
(As contextual background, I have only ventured into making wearables since early 2023 and I live in Portugal. So the information presented here is as what I have discovered so far and only as relevant to my particular situation.)
Firstly, the precious metals industry in Portugal is very strictly regulated as per the Hallmarking Convention.
“The objective of the Hallmarking Convention (also known as “Precious Metals Convention”) is to facilitate trade in precious metal articles while at the same time maintaining fair trade and consumer protection justified by the particular nature of these articles.” Hallmarking Convention.
For me to produce items made with precious metals such as gold and silver to be sold, I have to be registered with one of the following activities:
“Artist Designs and produces articles with precious metal that respect all of the following requirements: – They’re for sale. – They’re single or limited editions. – They have a production limit of 15 articles per year. – They contain a maximum of 10 % precious metal. – They’re not for personal ornamentation. Industrial in the jewellery sector – Produces articles with precious metal, in a factory or workshop, for sale purposes.
And to legally sell items made with precious metals, I have to be registered as the following:
Jewellery retailer Sells directly to the public one or more of the following articles: – articles with precious metals – articles of special interest – used items The sale may take place in a retail outlet or by means of sale without an establishment (e.g. at fairs, by itinerant sale or by remote communication means).”
Once I qualify and am registered with the above business activities, I will be able to hallmark my works with the appropriate assay marks. These marks mean that you, as a potential consumer, can be guaranteed quality when you purchase precious metal wearables from me.
So, at this point, I have some work to do. I will reprioritise and ramp up my efforts to get certified as a jeweller as soon as possible so that I am able to make my silver wearables to you.
Subscribe below to get updates. And until then, I hope you enjoy the brass works available!
