Curated by Ana Balona de Oliveira, the exhibition consists of works from different periods of "António Ole's artistic career of over fifty years".
According to the curator, quoted in a statement sent to VerAngola, the works that make up the exhibition were "made in various media, from sculpture to photography, from drawing to video.
Ana Balona de Oliveira also reveals that these are works that "highlight the attention that Ole has dedicated to nature and its elements and vital materials.
According to the curator, the four elements (earth, water, fire, and air) take on "countless forms that, as a whole, invite a planetary perception and an ecological awareness not only of cohabitation but, above all, of the interdependence between human and non-human life forms (animal, vegetal, mineral) - vital matter, to whose urgency and urgency the pandemic reality itself has alerted us more than ever.
This project by António Ole intends to reflect on the environmental crisis, being associated with "the dynamics of exploitation, extraction, and violence that persist globally and are linked to the colonial system.
According to the statement, the work of this artist has influenced younger generations of artists of African origin and "supported the reconfiguration of the histories of humanity and, in particular, the history of Portugal in its critical relationship with Afro-Portuguese cultures and communities.
'Matéria Vital' will be available at the Movart gallery in Lisbon until June 9. It can be visited from Tuesday to Friday between 10 am and 6:30 pm, and on Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm.
António Ole is inspired by "traditional art as a stimulus to develop a contemporary discourse appropriate to his time and circumstance. Using various methods to express his art (from drawing to video), António Ole's work has won awards in Angola, Portugal, and Cuba.
