An exhibition about identity in Porto is coming soon with multimedia interaction and with help by international artists and self-portraits by them.
It'll be an identity game.
Most of the times I think that I'm lost, others I think that I've found myself and with past, present and future colliding themselves in the memories of the books that I've read, the movies that I've watched, the songs that I've listened to, the art that I've seen or the life that I've lived or live in the present moment make me a bit dizzy.
I know that life's hard and sometimes I wonder about several things that people tell me while communicating with me, because it seems that today we are all rushing in our lives and not thinking properly (in my humble opinion) with our brains, heart or soul.
Communicating is hard, direct comunication allow us to know a bit more of who we're and the people that we comunicate with.
Sometimes people don't understand me, others I don't understand them and we instantly lose touch while communicating.
I think that this can be due to a language barrier (I'm Portuguese) or maybe because people's lives are always filled with work to do and always in rush hour, that seems that the Apocalypse is beginning right now and that we all must have our 15 minutes of fame instantly (like Andy Warhol predicted in the XXth century) in social networks, be it Facebook, Tumblr, Hi5, Twoo, Twitter, Whatsapp, blogues, websites or even cellphones.
I also use some of these social networks to understand how they work and how people comunicate with them (most of the times people comunicate only with images in them) and in my humble opinion we're only mere voyeurs of other people's lives and social networks gives us sometimes only a mere void, portraying us like we're in a constant conflict with our own ego, forgetting our identity and it all becomes a sort puzzle or a blur in our own minds.
So, I've thought in some simple questions about identity, like these ones:
- Where're our memories?
- Who are we?
- What's our purpose in life?
- When were we born?
- Where were we born?
- Do we belong to the city or country where we were born or are we some sort of aliens passing by in them?
- Why must everything be digital in this new era?
- Are our memories digitally gathered in a PC in a simple box, in a bunch of papers or inside our heart and soul?
Sometimes people tell me personally or by phone:
- "Have you seen what I did today? I've put it at my Facebook."
Other times people tell me about the benefits of social networks such as Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter.
I don't know what to answer lots of times, since this is not direct comunication in my point of view.
I'm only a guy that was born and lives in Porto (I'm showing a bit of this city like I've told a bit of its History in a previous post in a video with me reciting some words about it while also reading a love letter to my kitty Ilvie) and I think that I'm a simple guy. (I'm not a leader of anybody or anything), perhaps I'm trapped in this city or this country that are both my shadow, a rope or a drug that ties me to them, being myself a mere character in them aswell.
I've did some good and bad things in my life and that's it, I never was a mystery man.
I do show what I do at my personal Facebook (I also use social networks) and I share direct comunication with people in it, the same way that I do personally or at this blogue that I never wanted it to be "my blogue", but a blogue that supports who I am, what I've did or what I'll do in the future with help by other people,
At this blogue some sort of narratives/stories are linked throughout all its posts with work of some years with some of my personal life in it and with other people works aswell, be them texts, interviews, editing books, curating exhibitions, organizing comic book festivals or even making videos to simply use direct communication to some countries in order to share a bit of who I am with people from all over the world while trying to have their feedback aswell and know them a bit more through comunication and identity.
So, this is a sort of exhibition/multimedia project based in what I don't understand in present times and life, be it love (with family, friends or with a couple), friendship, love for pets (like I've did in the previous exhibition in December 2016 with my kitty Ilvie that is my inspiration muse and that was stolen from my sight recently (like it was only a mere object) after living with her 8 years or a text that I've also recited in Portuguese with another kitty that I've used to have for 3 years named Pimpolha and that can be seen also in this blogue in a video) or even companionship with people.
In my opinion, lots of people also don't have answers for these same questions.
I'll try to do some sort of narrative with this exhibition with the help of international artists that must make sense in my mind while sharing a bit of the city that I live in, that's Porto (I remember doing a spoken words performance in Portuguese with a Portuguese musician named Sérgio Rocha in 2006 in a bar in Porto as an homage to this city and that can also be seen in this blogue) and a bit of my life with all the artists/people that I can gather to have interaction by direct communicating.
Here is a link of a video made at the city of Porto with an introduction with some questions about identity, where I show a bit of the city, where I was born and live with a background song by American band Sonic Youth named Schizophrenia that was boiling in my mind while thinking on this exhibition.
Hope that this can be a good and direct exchange with me, international artists and clients of boémia caffe trying to give some answers about identity or even questioning its purpose in this century.
Some international artists answered my call in order to do self-portraits of themselves.
Here're some self-portraits already done:
Portuguese artist Paulo Pinto
Mr.ED
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| Spanish artist Jon Ander Azaola |
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| Argentine artist Pato Delpeche |
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| Spanish artist Pedro Espinosa |
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| Spanish artist Santiago Sequeiros |
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| Portuguese artists Geral e Derradé |
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| Spanish artist Miguel Almagro |
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| Spanish artist Dulce Escribano |
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| Argentine artist Quique Alcatena |
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| Spanish artist Javier Gay Lorente |
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| Spanish artist Joaquin Aldeguer |
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| Spanish artist Gustavo Rico |
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| Spanish artist Ruben Pellejero |
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| Spanish artist Fidel Martínez Nadal |
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| Argentine artist Fer Calvi |
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| Argentine artist Carlos Dearmas |
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| Polish artist Nikodem Cabala |
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| Brazilian artist Carlos Ferreira |
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| Spanish artist Toni Benages Gallard |
Here's the list of the countries and some of the artists names that will be held at this exhibition:
Argentina - Colorada Majox, Erica Villar, Pato Delpeche, ED, Carlos Dearmas, Quique Alcatena, Patricia Breccia, Fer Calvi, Fernando Beltran.
Brazil - Carlos Ferreira, Eder, André Diniz.
Croatia - Danijel Zezelj.
Portugal - Paulo Pinto, Derradé and Ana Biscaia.
Poland - Bartosz Jekiel, Magdalena Minko, Nikodem Cabala, Ewa Perleweska.
Spain - Jon Ander Azaola, Pedro Espinosa, Gustavo Rico, Eduardo Alvarado Sanchez Cortés, Ruben Pellejero, Javier Llorente, Dulce Escribano, Santiago Sequeiros, Miguel Almagro, Joaquin Aldeguer, Martutxa Casares, Victor Puchalski, Fidel Martiñez Nadal, Toni Benages Gallard.
Sweden - Lars Erik Sjunnesson.
U.S.A : Brian Biggs, Brian Quinn, David Lasky.
Thanks to all international artists, who've already drawn or are drawing or gathering self-portraits of themselves, because deep down in their thoughts and with their artworks, it seems that they do know who we all are as an individual in this life because they observe people while creating artworks or stories.
Special thanks to Argentine artist Mr.ED for designing a poster and the text for this exhibition, to Daniel Castro (owner of boémia caffe) and to my kitty Ilvie for continuing being in my heart and soul as my muse and source of inspiration even without her physical presence,
Hope that this can be a good exhibition/project/narrative with the help of all these excellent artists that I truly admire.
Da muy nobre, sempre leal e invicta cidade do Porto,
Manuel
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