It is with great pleasure that we present "Three pointed mask", the second solo show by Carlos Arteiro at the gallery

OPENING :
Tuesday, June 06, 7 – 10 PM

DURATION :
06.06 – 27.07.2023

~

Carlos Arteiro (b. 1992) proposes a set of works in which an imagetic archaeology can be revisited, under various aspects and problematics. One of the outstanding figures is the bull. If we establish a narrative in Western culture and art, the bull was one of the first animals represented in cave painting, in fact, marking the beginning of figurative art, which only modernism and the invention of the photographic device would interrupt, initiating modern art and its first major issue: abstraction.

As we continue our journey through Western culture, we once again find the bull associated with the metaphors of Zeus, that is, when Zeus transforms himself, in this case into a beautiful white bull, in order to seduce Europa, daughter of the Phoenician king, kidnapping her and taking her with him to the island of Crete. In fact, the "Abduction of Europa" is a theme that has been taken up several times in the history of Western art. On Crete, Europa has three sons with Zeus: Minos, Radamanto and Sarpedon. One of the sons, Minos, would marry Pasiphae, who would end up falling in love with another beautiful white bull that came from the sea. From this relationship would be born the Minotaur, the famous monstrous creature, half human and half bull, devourer of human beings and for whom Minos had the famous labyrinth built in the Palace of Knossos. The narratives that involve bulls have been punctuating Western culture. Uniting them we find a mixture of rationality with brute and animal strength, as defining powers, in fact, of the human being himself and his condition.

This idea of rationality, as opposed to spontaneity, makes us reflect on another aspect also present in this exhibition. It is the evocation of the commedia dell'arte, a popular Italian comedy in which, through masks, the actors expanded their creativity and capacity for satire and amusement, mainly through improvisation or dance, which is why it was also known as commedia alla maschera or commedia improvviso. The characters represent social types, which generically define community life, such as, among others, the Dottore, the Pulcinella, the Colombina, the Arlecchino or the Pantalone. Somehow, it is about a certain humanity, particularly visible in some historical and cultural contexts, that this exhibition reflects. Perhaps, despite our uniqueness, we are not so different from each other after all.

~

THREE POINTED MASK

Carlos Arteiro
06.06 – 27.08.2023
_
Exhibition text : Isabel Nogueira
Exhibition photography : Bruno Lopes 
Video : João Silva