Digital Insanity Magazine by Bruno Amaral

Escher in Lisbon

Sat, 17 Mar 2018 16:24:08 +0000

It was last week that I was able to visit the private exhibition at the Museu de Arte Popular. Self proclaimed as the largest collection of Escher’s work, this was quite interesting.

The collection itself if amazing. During the tour, some installations are used to explain the mathematical and optical principles he applied to his work. In two of them, you can take a photo of yourself standing inside one of his works.

I was not aware that the work I believed were careful sketches are in fact engravings. It actually makes his work even better. And even though we see his influence in work being done today, it still escapes us.

The exhibition displays works of advertising for brands, magazine and album covers, and clips of movies such as Labyrinth. All of them showed the same skewed perspectives of dimension, of an impossible reality and of metamorphosis.

In one of the magazines in display, Escher’s work is described as weird. Time eventually transformed that weirdness into genius.

If you’re in Lisbon sometime between now and the 27th of May, do find the time to visit the Museu de Arte Popular.

Address: Av. de Brasília.
Open Monday to Sunday 10.00-20.00.
Ticket: 11€.

Escher in Lisbon

Museum Art Architecture Technology — MAAT

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:19:19 +0000

https://www.maat.pt/en

Despite the initial controversy about the museum’s futuristic look, I feel it blends quite well with the surroundings.

MAAT is a part of the EDP Foundation and does not have a permanent exhibition, this last sunday the 25^th, I got to see the instalment by Bill Fontana, “Shadow Soundings”, and “Tension & Conflict Video Art After 2008” with pieces by several artists.

Bill Fontana’s instalment blends live streaming, sound, and footage of the river to create an immersive environment. It can easily invite reflection about how the bridge, the MAAT Building and the river coexist.

The larger exhibit is “Tension & Conflict” and it’s packed with works around the social and political tension we live in. From “Casus Belli” (cause for war) where Greek artist Yorgo Zois builds a metaphor regarding the economic. crisis and its consequences, to Blacktivist a work that puts the spotlight in the American culture and right to free speech, and bear arms for self defence.

Two other works put emphasis in the rise of violence between law enforcement and citizens. In one, Pharrell Williams' “Happy” song is shown with people dancing and is progressively replaced with violent footage from political demonstrations. Another, titled “This Lemon Tastes Of Apple” refers to the smell of tear gas and is a documentary of the demonstrations against the Kurdish government.

Not knowing what the demonstration is about only multiplies it’s emotional charge. In fact, the mix of sounds and images made me feel uncomfortable. Guess that was the point.

A friend once told me “I don’t think you care much about the problems of the world.” Thinking back, I am not sure if she meant me or western Europeans in general. Either way, “Tension & Conflict” did bring me a different perspective on those issues and their ripple effect.

Will MAAT’s next exhibition be worth a visit? Yes, definitely.

Museum Art Architecture Technology

Disclaimer: As I write this, I work for the EDP Group, yet the views expressed are my own.

Museu Nacional Arte Antiga

Sat, 17 Feb 2018 01:57:54 +0000

http://www.museudearteantiga.pt/

Visiting the ‘Museu de Arte Antiga’ turned out to be an interesting experience.

Yes, religious art is the general topic and shows how much portuguese royalty and merchants put an emphasis on catholicism.

My guess, is that this was mostly to win the favour of the church and remainder population. And while in Madrid I saw more than my share of works depicting the temptation of saint anthony, here the tide changed. Most pieces where showing the adoration of christ, as well as saints and martyrs.

And then, there was an exhibition called ‘White gold’ with works that were comended or owned by people living in Madeira during the 15th and 16th century. They mostly traded sugar, hence the name of the exhibition.

If you’re guessing they were mostly religious pieces, you are be right.

All in all, it makes for a good visit that can end in the garden of the Museum and it’s amazing view over the river.

Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisboa, Portugal

National Tile Museum

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 02:45:12 +0000

http://www.museudoazulejo.gov.pt/

Any place is a good place to start. I chose this one for several reasons, one of which my curiosity to see if we can indeed say so much about portuguese tiles and how it would match the tile work I had seen in the Bardo Museum.

Long story short, yes you can.

The religious motifs are very present, as was to be expected, but there is also work by more contemporary artists like Júlio Pomar.

The Museum occupies an old convent, so the whole walk around the cloister adds a second level of interest. The church inside is also an exquisite work of craftsmanship that was well preserved over the years.

It makes for an interesting morning, that can end with coffee or lunch in the cafeteria near the garden of the Museum.

Digital Insanity Magazine by Bruno Amaral

Escher in Lisbon

Escher in Lisbon

Museum Art Architecture Technology — MAAT

Museum Art Architecture Technology

Museu Nacional Arte Antiga

Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisboa, Portugal

National Tile Museum

Museu Nacional do Azulejo, Lisboa, Portugal