The selected works of art reflect the baroque

One of the reasons for uniting these various works of art is to celebrate freedom of expression and the beauty of artistic intention, which attempts, at the symbolic level, to elaborate original languages, to express the truth that anyone can feel but not realize. The power of metaphor allows for the extension of formal frameworks: even the minimalist piece can be baroque if it is conceived with a holistic intent, such as Round by Sharon Peterz. The massive object levitates, due to the sophisticated system of steel cables; suddenly the complexity and elegance of the solution of this suspension dominate its conceptual charge, the absurdity of this perfection surrenders the work to the baroque. The beautiful woman is screaming without producing any sound, El Fear of Sandra Jaume, exposed in the room full of sun, turns the air solid and causes the particles to stop in anticipation of the scream; the "total work" dominates space, the baroque is present. The artistic books of Maria X. Fernandez definitely reflect the baroque: pages rolled and folded elaborately are intangible to the reader, whatever the knowledge contained within, books seduce with the visual eroticism of their forms and evoke a nostalgic desire for the baroque.

This is an excerpt from the text of the catalog by:

Madina Zingashina, curator of the project ART-MAP Braga 2017

Hyper baroque

"Clearly, baroque is fantastic," Gregg Lambert said. He did not fully understand this expression before the project "Thinking Baroque" took place. We can understand and interpret the baroque in two general ways: rationally, as a historical period, and consider its formal aspects: the chronological margins are defined and the masters are recognized, the principles of composition and characteristic elements are described and preserved with poetized society and spirit of that time. Alternatively, we can feel the Baroque as a transitional phenomenon, which can occur at any time, and which brings all matters to its maximum: the skill, the science, the emotion, the illusion, the violence. As one of the participating artists, Miguel Rodrigues, notably remarked, we are actually approaching a hyper baroque era; we can witness it, it is in the abundance of information, possibilities and technologies, in the full blossom and full acceptance of any ugliness and of any beauty. His installation, specifically made for "Thinking Baroque", is an assemblage of plumbing tubes and bent plastic: it shines with gold, it attracts with the softness of rich red velvet. Isn’t this a sublime of modernity?

This is an excerpt from the text of the catalog by:

Madina Zingashina, curator of the project ART-MAP Braga 2017

The baroque foretold modernity

The common impression about the baroque is that it is an irregular, obsolete, exaggerated, and necessarily royal, affiliated with the inquisition, aligned with slavery and colonialism. And here I would like to reflect a bit. Somewhere in the late Renaissance, in the occidental world, begins the democratization of art, and the Baroque, paradoxically, made a contribution to this. Resulting from the reactional intention to reaffirm the power of the church and the monarchy, Baroque concepts seek to communicate with popular taste, using gold, illusion, sculpture and decoration. Hence it brought to a maximum scale and impact all forms of art, from architecture to music, in order to convence with the magnificence of the celestial kingdom but ended up confirming the beauty and pleasure of earthly existence, finishing at once and for all with the remnants of Gothic asceticism. Aiming to convey to an illiterate population, the Baroque spread knowledge and enlightenment; inspired by the science and discovery of the world, the baroque foretold modernity.

This is an excerpt from the text of the catalog by:

Madina Zingashina, curator of the project ART-MAP Braga 2017