by Stephanie Wruck | Sep 15, 2023 | Article
Last days to visit the 8th edition of Poster Mostra in Marvila
The 8th edition of Poster Mostra, which started on May 20th, is coming to an end! The open-air exhibition runs until September 20th. There were 4 months of art displayed in buildings throughout the streets of Marvila, a neighborhood that breathes culture in Lisbon.
Exhibition Poster – Open air art
Poster Mostra is a public exhibition on the streets of Marvila, one of the most active cultural centers in Lisbon. The initiative emerged as a tribute to one of the most classic forms of media, the poster.
The posters created include photography, drawing, words, illustration or mix media and, as in previous editions, a total of 17 winners were selected, based on originality, approach and applicability to the poster format.
In total, there are 37 artists, 20 guests and 17 winners, exhibiting their works on a circuit between Rua do Açúcar and Largo do Poço do Bispo.
With Poster Mostra, Marvila proves once again that it is a center rich in culture, transforming its streets into a true art gallery.
This is not the only artistic intervention present in the neighborhood, which has several art galleries, such as Underdogs, neighboring Coletivo Amarelo, and which recently had an exhibition by Shepard Fairey, a famous North American street artist.
Don't miss the opportunity to experience this artistic experience through the main streets of Marvila!
by Stephanie Wruck | Sep 8, 2023 | Article
The renowned Portuguese artist Helena Almeida is on display at the Moreira Salles Institute in São Paulo. Titled 'Inhabited photography, anthology by Helena Almeida, 1969-2018', this is the artist's first solo exhibition in Brazil. The exhibition is now open to the public and takes place at IMS Paulista until September 24th.
Helena Almeida: Who is the artist?
Helena Almeida was born in Lisbon in 1934, where she lived until her death in September 2018.
Her journey in art has spanned different formats, from drawing, painting, sculpture and performance. However, it was photography that the artist focused her work. At the end of the 1960s, Helena Almeida began what would mark the rest of her life as an artist, photography, which stood out for its originality and pioneering spirit.
The artist also experimented with the use of painting in her photographs, creating works that marked her career, such as “Pinturas Habitadas” (1975-1977) and “Dento de Mim” (2001).
The artist represented Portugal around the world, twice at the Venice Biennale, in 1982 and in 2005, at the São Paulo Biennale, in 1979 and 2004 at the Sydney Biennale. With this trajectory, Helena Almeida became one of the main Portuguese contemporary artists.
In recent years, her work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions such as the one taking place at the Moreira Salles Institute in São Paulo.
Inhabited photography, anthology by Helena Almeida, 1969-2018
The exhibition Fotografia Habitada, an anthology by Helena Almeida, 1969-2018 will be the renowned Portuguese artist’s first solo exhibition in Brazil. Curated by Isabel Carlos, curator of contemporary art and art historian, the exhibition will present a selection of works based on photography and drawing, created between 1969 and 2018.
The works address recurring themes in Almeida's production, such as the interrogation of genres and artistic processes and the self-representation of artists and women.
In its production, more than an artistic or documentary genre, photography is a conceptual support for the ideas and processes of creation. This subversion of the limits of the definitions of the work of art, in addition to the constant reiteration of her condition as a woman artist, brings Helena Almeida's work up to date, confirming the historical relevance of her role in a generation that opened new paths and processes in ways of thinking and articulate the relationship between art and life.
The exhibition runs until September 24th, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 10pm at Instituto Moreira Salles Paulista in São Paulo.
by Stephanie Wruck | Aug 24, 2023 | Article
Osias André and Ar.Co – Bolseiros & Finalistas'22
Ar.Co is an independent art school that was born in 1973 and annually holds an exhibition that brings together a selection of works by finalists and scholarship students of the school year. One of the artists from Coletivo Amarelo, Osias André, is among those selected and we can check out his works in the exhibition that runs until September 3rd!
Ar.Co – Scholarship holders & Finalists'22
The exhibition aimed at the works of students and scholarship holders at the school is called Ar.Co – Bolseiros & Finalistas'22 and displays the works carried out in the years 2021 and 2022. In all, there are 25 artists that encompass different artistic departments, including Visual Arts , Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Photography, Illustration and Jewellery.
According to the Executive Director of the exhibition, Manuel Castro Caldas, the annual show aims to promote the exhibitors' critical self-distance and their accountability vis-à-vis the wider fabric of society and history. As for the school, the exhibition makes it possible to assess the relevance and effectiveness of changes and updates to its pedagogy. And for visitors, the exhibition is an opportunity to experience the different arts, once considered “minor” and “major”.
For Ar.Co, and Coletivo Amarelo, this hierarchical distinction between different forms of art is something non-existent. With the exhibition, the public has the opportunity to absorb these different forms of art and understand that there is no greater or lesser weight.
Osias André and Ar.Co
Osias André, a Mozambican artist, is one of those selected for this year's exhibition. The artist has unique look and expressions in his art. His works feature black bodies in motion, almost always naked, and different pictorial elements that help express this movement, creating a kind of choreography on canvas.
The artist has already had his works exhibited in other editions of the exhibition, winning awards on other occasions.
In addition to the works exhibited at Ar.Co, it is possible to follow the work of Osias André in the exhibition Confluência do Coletivo Amarelo, which runs until the second half of September!
Ar.Co – Bolseiros & Finalistas'22 runs until September 3rd and is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 1pm/2pm to 6pm!
by Stephanie Wruck | Aug 7, 2023 | Article
Barbie and the inspiration in the work of Wayne Thiebaud
One of the most anticipated films of recent years, the live action of the most famous doll in the world, Barbie, premiered less than a month ago and is a success with the public and at the box office. Since its announcement, the film has generated different expectations. After all, what to expect from a doll movie?
Directed by one of the most promising women in the business, Greta Gerwig, the film exceeded audience expectations and has already passed the US$ 1 billion mark at the box office, becoming the biggest film directed by a woman.
Whether discussing the role of the doll in society,mocking the patriarchy or talking about what it means to be a woman, the film is much more than the live action of a doll. And proof of that are the inspirations that the director and screenwriter used to create Barbielândia, the ideal world where Barbies live and command all sectors of society. One of these inspirations is the artist Wayne Thiebaud!
Who is Wayne Thiebaud?
Wayne Thiebaud is a renowned American artist, originally from Mesa, Arizona and one of the main names in Pop Art! The artist is known for his paintings of everyday objects and urban scenes, often exploring themes related to food, particularly desserts.
Thiebaud is world renowned for his
your brush strokethe striking and vibrant colors, which deliver a three-dimensional and almost sculptural quality to his works. Your approachThe unique act unites realism with a touch of humor and exaggeration, creating images with a close eye on ordinary objects.
One of her most iconic and well-known series is painting cakes, pies and ice cream, in which she explores textures and shapes in a detailed and engaging way. This series is one of the inspirations that Greta Gerwig used to develop the Barbieland setting.
Wayne Thiebaud and Barbie
Barbieland, the magical world where Barbies live, is a true fantasy. Full of pink, the scenario was all created and developed in a studio, without the help of technologies such as CGI, for example. For this, Greta and the production designer of the
film, Sarah Greenwood, used a pink pigment that led to a worldwide shortage of Rosco brand fluorescent paint. But what does that have to do with Wayne Thiebaud?
According to Greenwood,the pygmyA specific color was used to create about 12 different shades of pink, which were used throughout the film's setting. This is a direct result of director Gerwig's admiration for Thiebaud's work. Yet
according to the production designer, this comes from the work of Thiebaud, who never uses black and white in his paintings. In this case, their shadows were made with shades of blues and purples.
Barbie's color scheme followed this pattern, using no black, white or chrome tones to create the dolls' fantasy world, just different shades of pink.
the different shapesof art
The seventh art, better known as Cinema, has always used parallels with the different existing art forms. Whether in the representation of a plan inspired by a painting, in the lighting or in the colors. The arts overlap to create a new concept, a new art.
As much as Barbie is a worldwide blockbuster and the first contact may seem futile for many, the work developed by the film's Art Direction transcends the superficial, by focusing on details that enrich the production.
In addition to having a script that runs away from expectations, we can notice the attention to detail in the development of the main scenarios, clothes and even the hair of the main character, Stereotypical Barbie, played by Margot Robbie. This is because the wig used by the actress was daily toned with a toner developed especially for the film. The intention was to neutralize the yellowness of the blonde and avoid a great contrast between the costumes and the character's hair.
Finally, the attention to detail present in Art Direction only enriches Greta Gerwig's work and reinforces that art can present itself in different ways and feed back, inspiring new works and perspectives in the most different platforms and formats. Barbie is just another example of how art perpetuates itself and inspires new artists.
by Stephanie Wruck | Jun 29, 2023 | Events
Our second exhibition “COLLECTIVE EXPERIMENT: CONFLUÊNCIA” opens on July 8 at 6 pm in our space.
The exhibition brings together the work of three artists from different parts of the world in a unique meeting in Lisbon. Osias Andre from Mozambique, Gianlluca Carneiro from Brazil and Michael SaintClaire from the United States. They are different continents and contexts that carry a poetic accentuated by their similarities. Curated by Cristiana Tejo, the exhibition comprises a backdrop of vibrant colors and figurative representations of each geographic and personal perspective. Osias Andre and Gianlluca Carneiro share our main exhibition space, while Michael SaintClaire occupies “The Smallest Gallery in Lisbon” with paintings produced especially for the exhibition. The artists dialogue with each other, presenting paintings closely linked to their experiences and personal artistic universes.
Come have a toast with us, Saturday, July 8th, from 6 pm to 9 pm in Marvila.
osias andre
Gianlluca Carneiro
Michael Saint Claire
by Stephanie Wruck | Jun 15, 2023 | Article
I'd say my first encounters with zines only happened because of my deep admiration and enthusiasm for punk rock. Even though I wasn't alive to ever touch a copy of Maximum Rocknroll zine, or see in person the stunning cut-and-paste punk aesthetic of the very first edition of Search & Destroy, I've always been under the hypnotizing spell of independent printed publications. There's something special to be said about the energetic drive of zine makers to produce something mainly out of passion, anger or rebellion, without concerns to make any real money, but just to get it out of their systems.
When Coletivo Amarelo was born, there was a lot to be released. Artists had not only work to show but things to say. I knew we needed to find a way to tell those stories and the digital space wouldn't suffice all our needs. Perhaps it was an attempt to fit fine art under DIY guidelines and I was excited to see what would emerge from it.
Paper is a revolution in itself. As we move through the ever shifting corners of the internet, those cyber-territories are under constant construction. It all happens fast. It happens now. It's here then it's gone. Paper, on the other hand, has more time. It's a slower digestion. It invites intimacy. It forces you to stay longer.
This publication was born to be collectible, reusable, palpable. Each exhibition held at our gallery will have its own chapter. You're invited to collect every chapter, all while adding them to your copy of the brochure. It's a modular dance, a celebration of impeccable graphic design work, a collective effort made by a group of artists. It's a rebellious yet quite romantic commitment to the nostalgic and so seducing nature of printed materials.
Our brochure is now available on our website for purchase. During our exhibitions, we will distribute the next chapters, so make sure you have your copy of your brochure in order to collect each chapter.
Cheers! Until next time!
by Stephanie Wruck | May 10, 2023 | Events
We are pleased to invite you to the inauguration of our physical space in Lisbon, on the 20th of May, from 6 pm to 9 pm at Rua Capitão Leitão 74
HOPE: JERUSA SIMONE
Initially in the virtual realm, the platform opens its physical space in the Marvila neighborhood, on May 20, with the exhibition Oxalá, the first solo exhibition in Lisbon by the Portuguese artist Jerusa Simone. Curated by Cristiana Tejo, the show comprises recent paintings that emphasize recurring signs in her works, such as fire, the eye, dissident bodies, in a dreamlike ambience that evokes the artist's personal memories.
The exhibitions in the Coletivo Amarelo space are like chapters of a story that is unraveled little by little, inviting visitors to return to follow it. Concomitantly, occupations will take place in the Menor Galeria de Lisboa, a Project room that receives artists belonging to the collective and guest artists. The smallest gallery debuts with Veridiana Leite, a Brazilian artist based in Lisbon, who explores visited and imagined landscapes in her paintings in pictorial compositions that intertwine abstractionism and figurativism and human and non-human beings. His canvases often expand to installations and objects.
We are now starting a new chapter for the Yellow Collective. Artworks are a vital part of society and we hope to bridge the gap between art and the public by offering genuine creative experiences. Come toast and celebrate Marvila's vibrant artistic atmosphere with us!
by Stephanie Wruck | Mar 20, 2023 | Events
On the 22nd, the Alentejo International Biennial will take place. The edition of the event, which will take place between March 22 and 26, 2023, in Estremoz, will be attended by more than 140 national and international artists, coming from 15 countries, to guarantee the diversity of models and techniques of artistic expression. contemporary. Among so many artists, Gabriela Albuquerque, founding partner of Coletivo Amarelo, had one of her works selected for the exhibition.
Useless Landscape VI, 2021, Gabriela Albuquerque
Gabriela Albuquerque
Gabriela Albuquerque is a Brazilian artist who seeks to artistically represent her experience in different contexts. His initial training is in Literature at the University of São Paulo, but he soon entered the field of visual arts when he graduated in Criticism and Curatorship at PUC-SP. Afterwards, she worked briefly as a curator and art critic in the city of São Paulo.
The artist moved to Washington DC, the capital of the United States, and began her practical training as a visual artist at the Art League school in Alexandria, Virginia. All this without abandoning his field of criticism and curatorship, actively participating in groups, meetings and workshops promoted by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art.
After three years living in Virginia, Gabriela Albuquerque moved to Seattle, in the state of Washington. In the new city, she entered the Gage Academy of Art where she continued her artistic training.
Currently, Gabriela lives in Cascais, Portugal. The Brazilian finished her training in Painting at the Ar.CO study center and is currently part of the NowHere study and critical follow-up group, under the guidance of curator Cristiana Tejo.
The International Biennial of Alentejo
The first edition of BIALE is organized by ARTMOZ with the support of the Municipality of Estremoz, Regional Directorate of Culture of Alentejo and has as partners the International Biennial of Arts of Cerveira and the National Society of Fine Arts. Among the works by international and national artists, there are works that include paintings, drawings, watercolors, sculptures, ceramics and photographs.
The event begins on March 22 with the inauguration scheduled for 6:30 pm. On Sunday, March 26, the closing session of the Bienal Internacional do Alentejo will take place.
We invite you to attend this event and take advantage of the chance to see works by artists from 15 countries. Including the Brazilian Gabriela Albuquerque, our founding partner.
by Stephanie Wruck | Feb 6, 2023 | Article
It is impossible to deny that art and politics are intertwined. Whether due to the artist's willingness to express his position or his absence, in one way or another, art conveys a political message. One of the wills inherent to the human being that motivates this manifestation is the aspiration for freedom. In the Brazilian historical context this would not be different. After all, the practice of making art in Brazil is, in itself, a political act. With that in mind, in today's article we are going to address the intersection between art and politics in the work of Brazilian artists and their impact on the country.
Art is politics!
Art is and has always been a political expression! It is even possible to analyze this connection in different historical moments. Whether in the Renaissance, when paintings were commissioned and executed according to the political position of the buyer. Be it in a dictatorial moment when art is censored. Art is political and artistic expression has a force, whether intentional or not.
When creating a work of art, the artist can choose to speak out against the system, against oppression and against outdated norms of society, for example. There is an infinity of placements that an artist can employ in his work. Just as there are also artists who do not seek to express a political position, however, the absence of expression is a position in itself.
Contrary to what many people think, the connection between art and politics does not need to have a pamphleteer nature. That is, to support an idea radically and massively. The simple fact that certain artists express themselves and demonstrate their reality in their works is a political act.
When we talk about art and politics, it is also common for society to understand this as an imposition of indoctrination on the spectator. However, reality proves that this is a shallow thought and without much foundation. After all, art is subjective and interacts with each individual in a different way. There are several stimuli and impacts that artistic expression causes on the observer and their interpretation depends on their cultural, political and social baggage.
Art and Politics in the Brazilian Context
In Brazil, a country rich in culture and diversity, art is a strong political tool. To illustrate this, we draw a timeline with different artists and their impacts on Brazilian society.
Almeida Júnior – Caipira chopping tobacco
The artist lived in the 19th century, more precisely between 1850 and 1899. Almeida Júnior is usually associated with a word that can be seen as pejorative: “caipira”. This relationship comes from his representation of the Brazilian people in their plurality, focusing on “ordinary” people and avoiding the representation of the illustrious and aristocratic, as was usual.
Oswald de Andrade – Anthropophagic Manifesto
The 1920s are a historic milestone for Brazilian art. 101 years ago, the Modern Art Week took place, starting the modernist movement in the country. A few years later, in 1928, Oswald de Andrade published his Manifesto Antropofágico. Inspired by the ideas of the artist and political activist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the creator of futurism in art, Andrade founded a historical movement.
The artist published his manifesto in the magazine Antropofagia, in São Paulo, with the aim of “swallowing” techniques and influences from other countries. In this way, Oswald de Andrade encouraged the creation of a new Brazilian artistic aesthetic.
The movement took its name from promoting the “cannibalism” of foreign culture. After all, foreign culture greatly influenced Brazilian art. The artist's objective was to promote a new, multicultural and original Brazilian identity, as well as its people.
Tarsila do Amaral – Abaporu
One of the most famous paintings by the acclaimed Brazilian artist, Abaporu dialogues directly with the work of her husband, Oswald de Andrade, in Manifesto Antropofágico.
The painting features a seated man with disproportionate limbs, with enlarged hands and feet and a tiny head compared to the rest of the body. In addition, the sun in the center of the painting and the representation of a cactus reinforce the idea that we can understand from the painting.
The work is seen as a critique of physical work, exhausting and with little critical thinking, representing the reality of a large part of the population at the time. The painting was painted in 1928 and marks the artist's anthropophagic phase, which lasted until 1930.
Art and politics during the Military Dictatorship in Brazil
During the years 1964 and 1985, Brazil went through the Military Dictatorship, a dark and repressive period. There were almost 30 years of military oppression and artists, of course, were one of the big classes affected, persecuted and censored by the dictatorship.
Art as politics has not been silent, on the contrary. Even living in a time of censorship, many artists used their work in favor of freedom of expression, which was increasingly silenced.
We separate some of the artists who stood out in the fight against an oppressive and dictatorial system:
Cildo Meireles – Red Shift
Cildo Meireles is a Brazilian artist known for his pioneering work in creating art installations in the country. During the dictatorship, the artist demonstrated a strong political position, which we can analyze in his installation “Desvio para o Vermelho” (1967 – 1984). The installation is marked by these two dates as it marks the year it was conceived (1967) and the year of its first assembly (1984).
The work is divided into three rooms painted in red and articulated with each other. In the first environment, Impregnation, we are inserted in a white room filled with furniture and works in shades of red. This is contrasted in the penumbra of Entorno, the second environment, where it is possible to observe an overturned bottle, with a red liquid flowing in a totally dark environment. In the last environment, Desvio, the sound of running water guides the viewer into a completely dark room. The darkness is broken only by a funky sink, where red water flows, creating sound.
Hélio Oiticica – Tropicália
Tropicália is a term created by the artist Hélio Oiticica and represented in an installation exhibited in the Nova Objetividade Brasileira show, held at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro in 1967. The work is an environment composed of Penetráveis, PN2 (1966) – Pureza É a Myth, and PN3 (1966-1967) – Imagery. This was the work that inspired the aesthetic creation of the tropicalista movement between the 1960s and 1970s.
The work is rich in elements typical of Brazilian popular culture, such as sand, earth, tropical plants, fabrics, among others. All these elements together subverted the aesthetic order of European modernism.
Anna Maria Maiolino – “What's left”
Through political and provocative work, Italian-Brazilian artist Anna Maria Maiolino explored different materials and means of expression. During dictatorial periods, the ever-present questions were: “How to speak? How to communicate in times of dictatorship?”.
These doubts are expressed in the artist's work, such as the photograph “O que Sobra” (1974), which shows a woman with her tongue exposed between scissors. Through her art, the artist questions!
Adriana Varejao
The artist has a unique vision and work. His work starts from a question: “What if the walls had viscera, muscles and blood?”. Adriana Varejão is among the most important names in Brazilian contemporary art and has a pavilion dedicated to her work at Inhotim, the largest open-air museum in the world, located in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais.
However, his work is not limited to the idea of walls that simulate human entrails. In her works on display at Inhotim, the artist criticizes the wounds left by Brazilian history.
Regina Parra
The artist expresses her art through painting, photography and video, with a strong political nature linked to current issues about feminism and survival in a universe that is still misogynistic and sexist. Regina Parra addresses themes such as oppression, insubordination and female resistance in her works.
Art and politics in the current scenario of Brazil
Brazilian politics has been disruptive, to say the least. It was four years of a government that was openly against artistic expression. The Ministry of Culture was extinguished right at the beginning of the former president's term, the audiovisual sector was scrapped and art was discouraged.
The year 2023 began with the change of this government, but the transition has not been smooth. The current president of Brazil, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, took office on January 1st and, just a week later, supporters of the former president invaded the buildings of the three powers in Brasília. The terrorist attacks carried out by an articulated group left a devastating scenario.
The country's public property was destroyed or damaged, including priceless works of art. Among the losses is the painting As Mulatas, by Di Cavalcanti. It is a horizontal panel with great emphasis on four female figures working superimposed on a large landscape. They are brown-skinned, mestizo and mulatto women.
In this painting, the artist uses the same logic as Almeida Júnior, which is to give prominence to marginalized and socially oppressed figures, but who are the core of the functioning of our social fabric. Estimated at R$ 8 million, the work in question was in the Great Hall of the Planalto Palace and had seven tears in its canvas.
In addition to the acclaimed work of Di Cavalcante, several works of art were hit and destroyed in the terrorist attacks of January 8, 2023.
The destruction of this heritage by extremists proves that art is political! It proves that art is indeed necessary. After all, the Brazilian reality expressed with the intention of coping generates discomfort even in the most lay people. Art is political and always will be, regardless of how many opposing forces arise.
by Stephanie Wruck | Jan 6, 2023 | new artist
Coletivo Amarelo is proud to bring another amazing artist to our repertoire. Shikha Baheti Lohia is an Indian artist with a unique vision and artistry.
Meet Shikha Baheti, an artist who expresses her experiences through botanical art and black ink
Shikha Baheti's works are a visual summary of his reflections and principles on facets of nature that are not just aesthetic, but existential. After all, time and experience, wisdom and age, death and survival are intrinsic parts of the process of living.
An emerging artist from Hyderabad, capital of Telangana state, Shikha created abstract botanical designs assimilating the physiological aspects of survival, age and wisdom, using flowers as the theme of her work. The artist deconstructs the flower to expose its primordial aspects of reproduction, hunger and survival.
Drawing parallels with coming of age after becoming a mother, Shikha looks beyond the beauty and fragility that flowers are often associated with and sees them as a matriarchal beacon of wisdom, determination and resilience. His use of black ink is inspired not only by his educational background, but also by the fact that black and white are all-encompassing and, in his opinion, the purest, humblest, and truest colors.
Currently, the artist is on display with two exhibitions, one at the Art Mela and another at The Holy Art Gallery, in London, a gallery dedicated to emerging artists.
It is an honor to welcome Shikha Baheti to the Yellow Collective.
The representation of flowers in feminine art
Shikha Baheti is not the first woman to use the representation of flowers in her art. We selected four female artists who, throughout their careers, represented flowers in their artistic vision.
Georgia O'Keeffe
The American artist is known for her poetic paintings of different species of flowers and is considered one of the leading female figures in art history.
Her use of color and the organic shapes of flowers bring a feminine and delicate air that also comes from the painter's great interest in music. Flowers have appeared in her paintings since 1918, but it was not until 1924 that she painted her first enlarged flower. Between 1918 and 1932, the artist produced more than 200 paintings of all kinds of flowers: roses, petunias, poppies, camellias, sunflowers, etc.
Red Canna, Georgia O'Keeffe
Marianne North
Marianne was an English biologist, also known for her paintings of flowers, plants and natural landscapes. His work has remarkably and incredibly accurately captured the deepest details of botany.
In 1870, he traveled to Brazil, where he spent 8 months producing more than 100 paintings from the observation of the ecosystem and fauna he found there. This passion for landscapes and painting led the artist to seclusion in a cabin in the forest, where she painted in oil the landscapes she found.
Easter Flower or Easter Flower, Morro Velho, Brazil, Marianne North
Anna Atkins
Botanist and photographer, Atkins was the first artist to publish a photo book with images, as well as being one of the first female photographers. Anna produced cyanotypes, which are images printed in blue, in the artist's case, of flowers and plants. His frames were revolutionary for the time. In them, the artist placed plants on photographic paper, producing delicate photograms. The amazing thing about this process is that it was done in 1850!
Cystoseira fibrosa Cystoseira, Anna Atkins' British Algae
Hilma af Klint
The Swedish Hilma af Klint is considered a pioneer of abstract art. In the mid-1890s, the artist produced some botanical studies and transferred them to detailed drawings in watercolor and graphite on paper.
Between the years 1906 and 1915, Hilma created more than 150 paintings.
On the Viewing of Flowers and Trees, Hilma af Klint
Shikha Baheti walks her path to join these great artists as a woman who uses flowers to represent the full complexity of her existence. Coletivo Amarelo is very proud to be part of this history. Buy Shikha's exclusive works now.
by Stephanie Wruck | Nov 22, 2022 | new artist
How to learn about art? This somewhat subjective issue is addressed by one of the newest artists to join Coletivo Amarelo, Gianlluca Carneiro. The Brazilian artist and teacher is directly involved with citizenship and ethics projects, and within the classroom, he has found ways to introduce his students to politics through education through art.
Meet Gianlluca Carneiro and his vision on art education
In his portfolio, Gianlluca shares a bit of his story. Born in Minas Gerais, Brazil, the visual artist is also a history teacher at the municipal network of Cariacica, in Espírito Santo. In addition, Gianlluca holds a Bachelor of Laws and studied art and education at CEFART in Belo Horizonte.
From a very early age, more precisely from the age of 6, Gianlluca demonstrated himself as an artist through painting. Since then, his career has spanned more than 20 years, taking his art to different exhibitions in Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Espírito Santo. Not to mention publications in nationally and internationally renowned magazines and exhibitions, such as his work “Humor Azul, Coração Azul” which was a finalist at the Doncaster Art Fair.
Gianlluca Carneiro calls his artistic universe Cabeça Vazia, a play on the popular saying “an empty head is the devil's workshop”. In his own words: “The important thing is that this empty head is full and busy producing works with colors, strokes and colorful and chaotic compositions always supported by criticism of political and social structures and the contemporary way of life”.
The contemporary artist is aligned with the most recent discussions present around the world. One of them is the importance of rethinking the current art education system.
documents 15
Documenta is one of the largest contemporary art exhibitions in the world and takes place every five years in the city of Kassel, Germany. The exhibition was created in 1955 by Arnold Bode, in post-war Germany. Part of his motivation came from the need to return to the art that was banned by Nazism and to reintroduce the country to the latest international trends. Since then, the Documenta 15 exhibition has become a major institution in the art world.
In 2022, the 15th edition of the exhibition took place, curated by the ruangrupa collective from Jakarta, Indonesia. The collective based Documenta on the values and ideas of a very common term in Indonesia, lumbung, which means something like “community rice granary”. The idea of using this term as an artistic and economic model is based on principles such as collectivity, the joint construction of resources and their fair distribution.
In this edition, several points resonate and one of them dialogues directly with the art and the active positioning of Gianlluca Carneiro, which is to rethink the structures of contemporary artistic education. In the exhibition, this is translated from the idea of the collective and questions why we cannot learn from each other, breaking paradigms, such as the authority figure of the teacher?
This idea of transforming education is expressed in Documenta 15 through the art of *foundationClass, a collective formed in 2016 at the Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin (KHB). The collective emerged as an educational platform for art and a toolkit created to make life easier for immigrants who are affected by racism in Germany.
To delve into this concept of collective artistic education and get to know the artist better, Coletivo Amarelo held an interview with Gianlluca Carneiro. Read an excerpt from our conversation, which we opened with a speech by the artist that unifies all this thinking behind artistic education and this untapped potential.
Gianlluca: I see a lot of artistic potential among my students that is not so explored within the school and I, as a teacher and artist, try to bring that to them at all times. Bring what? Bring ideas to awaken something in them, demystify this idea that art is only in the museum, when in fact we make art all the time. And use it to debate politics
Yellow Collective: Are there obstacles within the school to bring these new models in? What is the resistance?
Gianlluca: The craziest thing about all of this is that I am part of a project called Ensina Brasil, aimed at areas of social vulnerability, and by coincidence I ended up in a school where there are military personnel. For a moment I thought this would be a hindrance, but I manage to bring the subject of politics in a deeper way, without superficial speeches and also without partisanship. But doing this using art even makes the process easier within the school, incredible as it may seem.
Yellow Collective: The figure of the teacher is a place of comfort, security, where “there are no dumb questions”, a less intimidating space… You, as a teacher, what advice would you give to those who want to start making art, learn more about art, but don’t do you know where to start or maybe you feel shy?
Gianlluca: Detachment from art sometimes comes from very complex languages, difficult for us to introduce people… I'll give you an example of something that happened to me this week. I had an art contest at school, I stressed that there would be a prize, but that it was not to encourage that aggressive competitiveness, but to stimulate creation.
A special education student of mine, he has a glass eye, low vision, and he won the drawing competition. It was a stand outside, his smile was something unbelievable. Another student, with very low self-esteem, won the painting contest, and she could never see what she was doing. Always saying that everything he did was shit*… This showed me once again that art is what we do in the most genuine way possible.
The way to start is indeed complicated, but today we have so many new forms, collectives like Coletivo Amarelo, alternative proposals, places that receive us more openly and that encourage us to do things. This is for those who are starting to make art, consume, live from it. As banal as it may be, the secret is to throw yourself in full.
Yellow Collective: What you said, about today having access to so many tools and information, sometimes scares too. Because maybe it makes the person a little bit without knowing where to start or without understanding where he fits into all of this... And we end up forgetting that artistic making is a time-consuming process, that it takes time, a really slow digestion. The artist's process of being reclusive there, “waiting for something” to happen, is extremely lonely at times and super confusing.
Gianlluca: It is a process that takes a long time. And we don't do it for a gallery, we do it because it has to be done. I'm a little crazy… I have my sketchbook, my doodles… and the ideas come, the colors, the shapes, and from them I experiment. Most of the time it doesn't get where I want it. There are layers that build up and, I'm not afraid, I don't plan too much, I'm more of an action person.
Exclusive works by Gianlluca are available in our store, check them out!
by Stephanie Wruck | Nov 10, 2022 | new artist
Coletivo Amarelo is constantly growing and we are proud to present another artist who will be part of the collective, Jerusa Simone. The Portuguese artist, who now lives in Zurich, has a unique look gathered throughout her life and expressed through her art. By trying to recreate memories and emotions, Jerusa's work dialogues with surrealism.
Meet Jerusa Simone, an artist who recreates moments and experiences through surrealism
Jerusa Simone's art is mainly based on her daily personal experiences, emotions and recurring memories. During her process, the artist often works from naive drawings that arise from abstract backgrounds devoid of a pre-existing idea. In this way, Jerusa embraces painting as an act based on spontaneous movements and intuitive choices.
This origin of art in the subconscious and the attempt to recreate memories is directly linked to surrealism, expressed through its creations. His objects take forms based on subtlety and informal lines, forming human figures, reproducing familiar visual signs, together with a certain strangeness.
In order to stimulate the viewer visually and intellectually, all of the artist's work consists of reconstructing the connection between symbols, meanings, colors and textures, regardless of the medium used.
Jerusa Simone is originally from the city of Porto, in Portugal, but today lives in Zurich, Switzerland. The artist graduated in plastic arts from the Porto Artistic School and the Accademia di Belli Arti di Roma.
In recent years, Jerusa has explored different supports of painting through video art. With that, she got the opportunity to exhibit internationally in different contexts and places, such as Portugal, Italy, Saudi Arabia, England, Greece, Spain, United States and, recently in her host country, Switzerland.
The Woman and Surrealism
This year, the Venice Biennale held its 59th edition and, for the first time in 127 years, exhibited mostly female artists. In this edition, the Bienal addressed the mysteries of the human subconscious and its surrealism from the perspective of female artists.
Curated by the Italian Cecília Alemani, the exhibition explored themes that orbit the imagination of different realities, the universe of dreams and new perceptions about what it means to be human. In addition, it linked the influence of technology in the creation of new beings and the rescue of our imagination as children.
Jerusa's work, in turn, is entirely linked to the theme of the exhibition. This relationship is mainly marked by the artist's attempt to revisit memories through painting. By carrying out this memory exercise, the artist creates strange scenarios, yet somewhat familiar to the viewer.
Accompanying this trend of women in surrealism, Jerusa Simone creates something surreal in the midst of the confusing and intense times we are living.
To welcome her to Coletivo Amarelo and unite her unique vision with ours, we conducted an interview with the artist. Read an excerpt from our conversation and learn a little more about Jerusa Simone, a woman who uses her experiences and surrealism to express her art.
Yellow Collective: About the painting “Memories of a future match”, the joke you make with the words is interesting: “memory” being something that refers to a past, of something that has not yet happened, that is in the future. There is a certain attempt to manipulate time, traffic… talk a little more about this work, what was the creation process behind it?
Jerusa Simone: Basically, that painting was done at a very specific moment of transition, I was in Italy, about to move to Switzerland. This feeling is very strange, but it was already known. An area that I already knew more or less that I was going to face. Dealing with the scene of the new and the old, this duality. The painting is divided into two parts: the upper part with elements related to the Italian column. This almost obese body, which is inspired by the work of Lucien Freud. I looked at that body, and I wanted to bring this idea of beauty and ugliness, and give space to women again, without hypersexualizing the female body, but bringing other bodies. I wanted to see myself represented. I always had a lot of problems with myself, so looking at Freud's paintings, I thought: "Wow, this is grotesque, but so beautiful". These marginalized bodies, almost confrontational, force the audience to look. And the body always has a red outline, and it's always in the corners, but always there. The position reflects this, this phase of change, of fear. It's a familiar place, but it's scary.
HERE: It has a dreamlike quality, that we wake up and the dream is very clear, and as time passes, the details of the dream fade away. And your work has this characteristic of memory that is a little blurry. What's it like to make a painting that reflects your present moment, and then years later, revisit that same painting and look back at those memories, a little fuzzy, with that dreamlike quality? Something changed?
Jerusa Simone: Looking at it now, I can feel all my motivations, I remember all the elements that I added, that I eliminated… and now, at this moment, I am where I wanted to be when I made this painting. I've been in Switzerland for two years now, but in the meantime, I've overcome my fear that was very present in this work. That element of putting your hand in the fire is something I use a lot, it's almost a self-portrait, I put myself in danger, but I can't help it. A self-sabotage, transitional scene, of leaving something behind.
HERE: This painting illustrates a personal transition event of yours, where you moved from one place to another and placed the elements that were present in that process. But even though this was a specific section of your life, I can look at it and see myself there in some way, maybe in some transition that I went through, but I do it through someone else's dream. Almost as if I had visited someone else's dream. Do you think this is part of female surrealism?
Jerusa Simone: I had to discover this small niche (feminine surrealism), which is this game that I play with various elements, this exchange of meanings of the elements that I use, and as time goes by and I accumulate new experiences, things are being erased and transforming. So my work makes this game, almost like a puzzle…
Exclusive works by Jerusa are available in our store, check it out!
