Upcoming permanent exhibition at Green Tea coffeeshop in Porto "Theworld within ourselves" - International artists

Porto

I remember when I first contacted Gary Groth almost three years ago to publish Fantagraphics Crepax book collection because of an exhibition that I've curated in Portugal of Italian maestro and that it would change my life, since I was (and I'm) working for the best comic book publisher in the world, I never knew that it would change this much .

 I've told him that I was a simple guy that was born in Porto and we both started working in that collection and later, I started contacting international artists to draw tributes to Valentina.

 I don't know how this happened, since I was contacting some of the best artists that I've read in several languages and in comic books or graphic novels through a social network named facebook where the artists had a vision and a clear image with their soul for this comic book character.

 I was under pressure, trying to commit myself to deadlines because of Crepax Fantagraphics book collection and worldwide exhibition tributes to Valentina with help by international artists and some talks to an audience first in Spain and later in Finland while out of a sudden when I'm presenting the first Crepax Fantagraphics book, my life changes completely by someone that broke my heart after almost 8 years of marriage and later kept my kitten Ilvie away from me and I wasn't understanding "why" at the time, but people are free to do whatever they want in this world (without putting other people's life in jeopardy or danger because we only have one life to live) and I truly respect this.

My kitty Ilvie

 I was in a state of shock, since I respect women and men equally and I didn't knew what I was going to do with my life then because I was moving from an house to another, being physically ill without my personal belongings/documents and several professional files so I focused on my work as an editor, writer and curator and thought on curating an exhibition with the love that I've for my kitty Ilvie and all the other kitties that I've had in the past named Jacky, Nuala, Maya and Pimpolha with the theme "love for cats as pets" and out of a sudden while contacting several international artists, they were sending me works by them with drawings of cats (even their own cats as pets), while I was working on editing books or writing some stories that are yet to be published and I did curated a cat's exhibition at boémia caffe with help by international artists based on a love letter that I've wrote to my kitty Ilvie and with their love for cats also.

Cat's exhibition poster by Argentine artist Mr ED

 Later I was watching a TV series named Westworld that had a curious narrative about questions such as: 

 - Who are we? 

-  Where does our heart or memories are? 

-  Are we machines right now that are programed to do everything quickly and forget about our own memories in a split second because of internet while losing ourselves as living creatures? 

Westworld quote  

 These questions triggered in my mind an Identity exhibition that I've curated with help by several international artists with their selfportraits, because I truly believe that they're real visionaries of what we're as living creatures in this corner of the universe called earth and perhaps they could be seen as watchmen, dreams gatekeepers or even gods during this exhibition with common everyday people in a coffeeshop in Porto while they were eating or drinking something and gazing towards their faces while asking themselves questions such as this:

"who are these men and women?".

"What are they doing here?" 

Identity exhibition poster by Argentine artist Mr ED

I've continued working for Fantagraphics as consultant editor on some Alberto Breccia's books  that I've organized to be published by us as a team and I've curated another exhibition with tributes by international artists to maestro Alberto Breccia with help by international artists, because I believe that if an individual starts an idea that he should try to promote it as part of his work and life event if possible worldwide.  

Alberto Breccia's exhibition poster by Argentine artist Mr ED

 Finally, I've put myself as a character in another exhibition named Identity - End of narrative to try to understand the feedback that was being given to me personally by customers of that coffeeshop about the first Identity exhibition while I was reorganizing my life from the bottom, trying to understand what they were telling me eye to eye and asking to several nternational artists some artworks by them to personalize t-shirts to me because I'm a t-shirts freak and I've thought that while carrying the t-shirt with an artist drawing, I was carrying a bit of who he was as a professional and even an human being.

 I've also asked for artworks to print in mugs in order to drink coffee to stay awake or drink water that's essential for any living creature in this planet while I was working and thinking in several international artists as genius and that also were my friends.

 I truly believe that art should always be in movement even a static one, so I've thought on putting several prints with amazing artworks by international artists at key places that belong in my memories at the city where I was born, showing a bit of its soul also through the world wide web and ending a narrative.

Identity exhibition . End of Narrative poster by Spanish artist Daniel Esteve

 I was watching at the time a Tv series named Peaky Blinders that basically is about a great love between a man and a woman with real life problems to solve, with memories, secrets, mysteries and also touches the theme of who we're as human beings.

 Sometimes men and woman asked me personally or by social networks: 

- "Why don't you smile for a while?".

 My reply to them was: 

- "My heart's broken, my memories with my kitten Ilvie are being stolen, my professional life's a jigsaw puzzle, how would you walk in my shoes?"

Printed images of Peaky Blinders

  When women told me personally or online in a funny way that they were going to break my heart, I instantly told them "already broken" like Peaky Blinders main character Thomas Shelby said to a woman named Grace that told him this also and that he loved a lot.

 This TV series also mentions the family concept often and I really love all my family and my nieces that are going to be wonderful women soon and my nephews that are going to be brave men for sure. 

 This was a bound that I was trying to make with my friends, international artists and my family, because I wasn't understanding what was happening in my personal or professional life.

My youngest niece Letícia that is one of my real princess and that loves my company 

 At the same time that I was watching Peaky Blinders, I was also watching Twin Peaks: The Return by  David Lynch that triggered not only recent memories of my professional or personal life but also others that have almost 25 years (that was when the second season of his magnificient TV series ended).

 Everybody knows that David Lynch is a maestro and that questions human life often, so I had mixed feelings with this TV series, my memories were intact in my heart, soul and brain but chaos was also everywhere and I believe that order comes from chaos and on being resilient to everything in this thing called life.

 When this third season finished with a question by its main character Dale Cooper that was:

- "Which year is it?"

 My mind dwelled in this particular sentence and I've started thinking on another exhibition and that this time should be a permanent one.

 These exhibitions that I've curated with help by more than 100 international artists were a sucess among thousands of common every day customers at boemia caffe and I treasure all these international artists a lot in my life, memories, soul and heart because I really believe in friendship without a language or physical barriers, but in bounds with people that I love, be them in Porto or in any another country.

 I've thought on curating a permanent exhibition at another coffeeshop with works by international artists that I truly love and respect as individuals in my heart, soul and brain, because I'm the same guy that almost three years ago was talking to one of my teenage idols that is my boss Gary Groth.

 I'm merely a guy that was born in Porto that doesn't understand a lot about social networks and how they work, but I love to comunicate, be it live or by them as a comunication tool with my heart, soul and brain (depending with whom I'm comunicating).

 This exhibition was a real difficult task for me to do, because it involves selecting artworks and I really know that it's a task that can annoy some artists, but I know that I'm the same guy, I'll always be this same guy and for sure that I'll curate more exhibitions worldwide and I'll need more help by the best international artists either while curating exhibitions or while editing/writing more books at Fantagraphics or at another publisher and I really loved the artworks of every single international artist that has send it to me.

 This is not a definitive "best of" exhibition with artworks by international artists.

 This is a permanent exhibition with artists that I've comunicated more and that gave me pieces of their own memories, heart, soul and brain.

 This exhibition will have a narrative and trust me that right now, I know little about it because past, present and future often collide in our lives with a theme as complex as "the world within ourselves".

Permanent exhibition "the world within ourselves" poster by Polish artist Bartosz Jekiel

 What I really know is that all the international artists that I've worked with in the past, present or will work in the future are the best in the world in my opinion.

 Below each work by international artists for this permanent exhibition, I'll try to show a bit by words of who we were then as a team and who we're now as a team also in comunication either by email or facebook with short sentences.

Argentina 

MR ED

MR ED - Valentina gift to Gary Groth

Mr Ed's Belinda

Mr Ed - Tribute to Perramus by Alberto Breccia

A Cat that I loved drawn by MR ED

A woman vampire by Mr ED

A woman boxer by Mr ED 

A woman in Porto reading comics by Mr ED

My kitty Ilvie as seen by Mr ED  

A story about a XXI century woman with script by me and artword by Argentine artist MR Ed, Polish artist Magdalena Minko, Spanish artists Pedro Espinosa and Fidel Martiñez Nadal  

A gift to my niece Letícia by MR Ed to print in a mug 

Myself "seen" by Mr ED

  Ed was and is (when he has the time for it, my left and right arm regarding design) and we talk often about ideas,  books, music, art, soccer and above all life.

 He's also one of the best artists and human beings that I know of and he always answer directly with heart, soul and brain as can be read in an exclusive interview that he conceded in a post in Spanish in this same blogue.

Fernando Sawa 

Artwork by Fernando Sawa

Drawing of Fernando Sawa based on myself

    

Fernando's a real talented artist and animation director and he's real funny and I joke a lot with him about life with songs.

Colorada Majox  

Selfportrait by Colorada Majox

Colorada's my friend, a funny woman and I always laugh with her.

 She's also a married woman, she's one of the sweetest artists and women that I've comunicated with and she loves Corto Maltese character.

Mukor Bazan

Mukor Bazan - Tribute to Alberto Breccia

I never know where Mukor's mind is, but he's a fun guy... 

A bit rebel, rebel.. 

but real emotional...

Carlos Dearmas

Carlos Dearmas - Drawing based on myself

         

Carlos sometimes comunicates with me and he tells me:

- "Manuel, where can I talk with you?"

I reply him that he can comunicate with me wherever he wants online in the world wide web.

I joke a lot with him and he's also an awesome artist.

German Genga

Drawing based on myself by German Genga

German's a soccer freak just like me, so sometimes we're comunicating about arts and lose ourselves in soccer games, players and coaches names.

Catriel Tallarico

Tribute to Maradona and Chichoni by Catriel Tallarico

Catriel loves soccer and music, music and soccer.

Sometimes he tells me that I should be Maradona, I tell him that I prefer soccer coach Mourinho, but he insists "Maradona...Maradona... Maradona..." and I'm starting to think that I've always loved and will love Maradona.

Brazil

Alex Korolkovas

Barbara Nogueira as Valentina - 01

Barbara Nogueira as Valentina - 02

Vika Costa and Katya as Valentina and Belinda

  

Alex's an excellent artist... 

He loves Bowie... 

He loves roaming the world...

Sometimes he tells me that he forgets to send me files because of his work, but I love comunicating with him with his brazilian accent...

He conceded an exclusive interview in a post for this blogue.

Éder

Drawing of Eder based on me

 Eder loves music... 

 Eder's a pro... 

 Eder loves life...

 Eder has the name of the soccer player that gave Portugal the European soccer cup :)

Croatia 

Danijel Zezelj 

Drawing of a cat by Danijel Zezelj 

selfportrait by Danijel Zezelj 

Drawing based on myself by Danijel Zezelj 

A dancing woman by Danijel Zezelj 

Danijel Zezelj is pure genius...

Danjiel solo books are awesome...

Danijel has a pure heart and soul... 

Danijel loves books and music...

Danjiel was kind enough to do a drawing for Portuguese book edition of Luna Park upon my request, I wrote the intro for it and he conceded an exclusive interview in a post for this blogue.

Sometimes I comunicate with Danijel and he tells me : "I'll send you the file to your email for you to use it on some of your ideas& 

Finland 

Terhi Ekebom 

Panel of a little girl sleeping by Terhi Ekebom

Drawing based on myself - Terhi Ekebom 

Terhi is an excellent artist...

She's a strong and fierce woman artist...

She's real senstive, humble and one of the best artists that I know of...

She gave me a contact to curate an exhibition at a Finnish comic book festival and to talk about it to an audience filled with exellent artists that I couldn't attend due to personal problems.. 

She conceded an exclusive interview in a post for this blogue...

France

Walter Minus

Original artwork given to me - Walter Minus

Drawing for a personalized t-shirt by Walter Minus  

Sometimes I don't know how to comunicate with Walter...

Sometimes he comunicates in French and I do the same...

Others I comunicate in English and he replies in French...

Other times it's the opposite...

Walter is a magnificient artist that draws the most beautiful women in the world.

One time he told me this because of a drawing by him in a personalized t-shirt of mine:

"Manuel don't send smoke to the pretty lady's eyes" and this sentence stuck in my mind since then...  

Isabel Pessoa

Isabel's a funny woman...

Isabel's as a Portuguese surname...

Isabel's an excellent artist...

Isabel's sensitive, humble, direct and honest...

Germany 

Claudia Pomowski

Drawing of a woman by Claudia Pomowski

Drawing of a man - Claudia Pomowski

Claudia's a great artist...

She seems to be quite sensitive...

She's direct, sensitive and humble...

Itália

Sergio Ponchione

Valentina

Sergio's a kind guy...

Sergio doesn't ask me lots of things...

Sergio's on of the best artists that I know...

Sergio knows that I love to annoy Gary...  

Stefano Zattera

Myself by Italian artist Stefano Zattera

Stefano loves life...

Stefano loves soccer...

I think that Stefano loves Mourinho...

Stefano's an excellent artist.

Poland 

Bartosz Jekiel

Poster for "The world within us" by Bartosz Jekiel  

Drawing based on myself by Bartosz Jekiel 

Bartosz is an excellent artist...

Bartosz loves Mckean...

Bartosz loves music...

Bartosz is honest, humble and sensitive...

In my opinon Bartosz is almost as good as Mckean or even better...

     

Magdalena Minko

Drawing based on myself by Magdalena Minko

Magdalena's an excellent artist...

Magdalena's a wonderful woman...

Magdalena's funny, humble, direct and sensitive...

Magdalena was born on the same day and month as myself...

    

Nikodem Cabala

Cat

Nikodem is a great artist...

Nikodem loves Mourinho...

I remember one time comunicating with him and he was telling me this about his cat:

- "He's a wonderful cat"

Portugal

Ana Biscaia 

Selfportrait by Ana Biscaia 

Drawing based on myself and my nieces by Ana Biscaia

Ana's one of the best artists that I know...

I remember meeting her personally and we were in a bus returning to Porto from a comic book festival where we both were in Portugal and where I've curated a Crepax exhibition and she was telling me this:

- "Do you think that I must go back and see it? I love Crepax and I haven't had the time to see the exhibition"...

Ana's sensitive, humble and honest...

She says that I'm a character and I'm starting to believe on her...

João Sequeira

Drawing based on myself by João Sequeira

João is an excellent artist...

João doesn't know how to deal with social networks...

João loves Mckean works... 

I think that João is almost as good as Mckean or even better...

Spain 

Chema Garcia 

        

Chema lives in Granada and he's an excellent artist...
Chema once told me this when I was asking him for a drawing for an exhibition:
- "Manuel, if I can't make it, you've several artists to replace me, believe more in yourself"...
I always trust in what Chema says to me.


Daniel Esteve

Drawing of myself by Spanish artist Daniel Esteve

A sleepy woman by Daniel Esteve

      

Daniel's Spanish...

Daniel's lives in Chile...

Daniel knows how hard it is to be Portuguese...

Daniel's an excellent artist...

Daniel's as a pure heart and kind soul... 

Fidel Martiñez Nadal

Valentina 

Fidel's one of the best contemporary artists...

Fidel's loves music and books...

Fidel's direct, honest and humble with a heart of gold... 

He conceded an exclusive interview in a post for this blogue.

Javier Olivares

Tribute to Breccia's The Eternaut by Javier Olivares  

Valentina

Javier's a maestro...

Javier was one of the first artists to help me for me to curate an exhibition in Madrid...

Javier created a masteriece along Santiago Garcia named "Ladies in waiting" published by Fantagraphics...

  

Joaquin Aldeguer

Drawing of myself by Joaquin Aldeguer

Joaquin loves History...

Joaquin is an excellent artist...

Joaquin loves arts and I think that Joaquin is pure art...

Jon Ander Azaola 

Belinda

Drawing of myself and my kitty Ilvie by Spanish artist Jon Ander Azaola 

Jon's pure genius...
Jon was one of the first artists that "saw" how much I loved my kitty Ilvie and without a single picture of me and her, he created a painting to unite us once again in a powerful image...
Jon's sensitive, honest and humble and I'll never forget what he did with this artwork by him with myself and Ilvie.  


José Luis Ágreda

Drawing of myself by Spanish artist José Luis Ágreda 

Cats with a woman - José Luis Ágreda 

José's an excelent artist...

José visited and loved Porto in a guided tour that I've given him and his wife.

José knows a lot about arts and movies...

José's human and knows how precious life is.  

Miguel Almagro

Selfportrait by Miguel Almagro

Miguel loves World History...

Miguel's a true friend...

Miguel knows that the world where we live in is glorious and cruel...

Miguel's an excellent artist...

Miguel's has more than one heart of gold...

Pedro Espinosa 

Woman reading a book

Pedro's a maestro...

Pedro knows how hard life is...

Pedro's a Warrior...

Pedro's sensitive, humble, honest and funny...

Pedro Rodriguez 

Drawing based on myself by Spanish artist Pedro Rodriguez 

Pedro's an amazing artist...

Pedro loves Will Eisner "The Spirit"...

Pedro sometimes wants to kill me because he loves Guardiola and I love Mourinho...~

Pedro wants me to visit Barcelona, but I'm afraid of Pedro without a Mourinho's t-shirt...

Pedro's fun all the time...

Ruben Pellejero

Valentina and Corto

Corto Maltese

Ruben's a maestro...

Ruben visited and loved Porto...

I remember being in a comic con looking for Ruben and Ruben looking for me in Porto and we lost ourselves and we didn't meet ourselves personally...

Ruben is the current artist on Hugo Pratt's character Corto Maltese...

Ruben has a heart of gold...

He conceded an exclusive interview in a post for this blogue.

Sandra Hernandez

Cat

Sandra's an excellent artist...
Sandra's honest, direct, funny and nice...
Sandra knows lots of things...
Sandra had a meeting with other Spanish artists in Barcelona towards my health...~



Santiago Sequeiros

Selfportrait by Santiago Sequeiros 

Mourinho by Santiago Sequeiros

Valentina

Sketch study

Santiago's a god in arts...

Santiago's soul has no bounds...

Santiago's imagination has no limits...

Santiago doesn't love soccer...

Santiago always says what is heart screams to him...

He conceded an exclusive interview in a post for this blogue.

Sonia Pulido

Mazzy Star 

Sonia's an excellent artist...

Sonia's a strong and sensitive woman...

Sonia owes me a coffee in Barcelona... 

Sweden

Lars Erik Sjunesson

An anarchist policeman - Lars Sjunesson

Lars is an awesome artist...

Lars loves to deconstruct world history...

Lars talks to me about Lisboa and I tell him that I never go there...

Max Andersson

Max 

Max Andersson is one of my favourite artists ever...

Max Andersson loves to toy with the reader's mind with his narratives in a funny way...

Max Andersson is poetry with flesh and bone...

Nicolas Krizan 

Drawing based on myself by Swedish artist NIcolas Krizan

Nicolas is a magician...

Nicolas creates wisdom with a pencil...

Nicolas loves books and books love him in return...

UK

Brian Bolland

Valentina

Brian's one of the best artists ever...

I remember comunicating with him and he was telling that he remembered a particular valentina's story...

Brian's direct and honest...

Brian's created the covers for "The invisibles" and "Animal Man" Grant Morrison's run...

Brian with Alan Moore's help seems that forced Batman to kill joker at "the killing joke".,. (or so they say)

David Lloyd

Unused drawing for "V for vendetta" Portuguese book edition  

Hellblazer

David's an excellent artist...

David created a masterpiece...

David created a movement...

David's an honest and simple guy...

I remember David asking me personally this while I was talking with him about "V", anonymous movement and Bauhaus music band 

- "Do you love superheroes?"

Of course that I replied him that I didn't.

U.S.A

Bill Koeb 

Drawing based on myself by Bill Koeb 

Valentina

Bill's one of the best artists ever in my opinion...

Bill's honest, direct and real humble...

Bill believe in the power of memories...

Bill has an heart of gold...  

Brian Biggs

Valentina

Brian visited Porto in the past and loved it...~

Brian wants to visit Porto again...

Brian writes and draws children books....

He conceded an exclusive interview in a post for this blogue.


George Pratt

Valentina

George's an extraordinary artist...
George's kind and honest...~
He conceded an exclusive interview in a post for this blogue.

Jeffrey Alan Love

Jeffrey's one of the best American contemporary artists...

He makes magic with simple brushes...  

Paul Pope

Crepax

Paul Pope loves lines...

Paul Pope loves Crepax...

Paul Pope's one of the best comic book artists ever...

When I was writing this post I was listening to this amazing song by my friend and magnificient Swedish musician Helena Espvall that lives in Lisbon and that clearly captures memories, longing, dreams, magic and makes one wonder about magic in life in a permanent way...

  

Da mui nobre sempre leal e invicta cidade do Porto

Manuel Espirito Santo