«Mobilehome» - Art made here

At the beginning of June, Loulé council opened up inscriptions for an experimental contemporary art course. The applicants had to be artists involved in visual arts. It was open to just 25 candidates, and they were chosen based on their letter of motivation, curriculum vitae and portfolio of recent works.

Those chosen “are quality artists who for five weeks were given the opportunity to show their ideas to internationally-recognised members of the contemporary art world”, explains Nuno Faria, the project’s curator as well as programmer for the future Museum of Contemporary Art, in Faro.

The course was held in three different locations – Querença, where the theory parts were held (seminars), the Palácio da Fonte da Pipa (for conferences/ masterclasses), and in Lagar das Portas do Céu (for practical work). It is this third venue that is now opening its doors to show the results to the public.

There is a lot to see - but it’s just a fraction of what was actually produced. “It was very difficult to choose which works to display, as the participants revealed a great perspective, a great conceptual refinement, and thus, the end result was substantial”, reflects Faria.

The old factory, now semi-ruined with bare walls, is in tune with the experimental nature of the course. There are drawings, photographs and paintings in every corner. There are works of art spread over tables where the artists worked – illuminated simply by desk lamps.

“This is a space I know well. I discovered it last year when I was working for the «Allgarve» organisation. The «Reacções em Cadeia» exhibition, presented by the architect Luís Tavares Pereira was held here. It is a venue that is typical of traditional local architecture, with a strong link to Portuguese heritage”, says Nuno Faria.

Washing tubs used for the olives serve the purpose of “mini-museums”. This was a very interesting concept from Cuban artist Diango Hernandez, from Dusseldorf, says Meinke Flesseman, one of the participating artists.

When asked about the course, Flesseman, a Dutch painter who lives in Lagoa, said “for all of us it was an incredible journey. Each one of us felt it in a different way, but I think that it will undoubtedly influence everything we do in the future”.

“I learnt to be part of a group – which is something new for me. In my day, it was too complicated”, Paulo Serra – a painter from Faro – considered. Serra talked of the isolation of artists, who can be shut away in their workshops for hours on end

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An example of creative unity, which was also one of the main objectives of the course, is a mural painting inside the factory. “It was a conceptual challenge initiated by Jaroslaw Flicinski, the Polish artist who came to teach contemporary mural painting”, Faria reveals.

One of the main criticisms of the «Allgarve» programme, is that the majority of exhibitions that come to the region pack up and go home at the end of the summer.

According to Nuno Faria, this latest initiative could contribute to local artists having a more involved and interventive role in the future.

“Critical debates are a rarity here in the Algarve. There is a definite lack of ideas put forth by those who have something to say, which are supported by hard work. Therefore I have no doubt that from this will come a collective force, a group of people prepared to do things for the community and evolve their work in a more permanent way”, he concludes.

Lagar das Portas de Céu (Rua Eça de Queiroz, Loulé) is open to the public from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 5pm to 11pm, and on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm and 5pm to 11pm.