Sílvio Salgado:
SMILE / Ways to Measure Time
Galeria Diferença, Lisbon, Portugal
7 September – 5 October 2022
Across the gallery wall, a painted horizontal line that seems to continue infinitely. On a large framed paper, a multi-layered print whose pattern appears to transcend the surface to a new dimension. Gateways that lead to the beyond. Works by Sílvio Salgado are ephemeral and infinitive, yet they are physical interventions that have a beginning and an end, an existence in space and time. In the viewer, the works trigger both visual and conceptual sensations.
SMILE is a passing moment or a state of mind. It is the joy of realizing an exhibition postponed due to the pandemic. SMILE expresses the confusion with the sufferings and manifests the ephemerality of life.
Salgado engages the viewer in the tasks the artist undertakes in the production of an artwork, be it references to the artist’s performing body, his personal history, the preparatory research, or the characteristics of the exhibition space. He explores the history of objects and events and reveals their temporal character and physical limitations. He proves how our perceptions of reality are constructs of our collective past. He addresses the relation between human action and its consequences. Salgado leads the viewer to consider her or his role in time and space and, ultimately, address the mystery of human existence.
Sílvio Salgado is a Portuguese artist living in Bogotá, Colombia and Helsinki, Finland (born in Mozambique in 1968). He has exhibited in various solo and group shows in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, the UK and other countries. He also works as an independent curator (e.g. Camoes Institute of Culture, Lisbon, Baluarte de la Candelaria, Cadiz, Wäinö Aaltonen Museum, Turku). Since 2001, Salgado presides over the Vienna International Apartment art association, an independent exhibition platform that creates opportunities for artists to collaborate internationally. Salgado studied sculpture and visual arts in London (Central St. Martin, Chelsea, Slade School of Arts) and graphic design in Lisbon (Antonio Arroyo). From 1989 to 1994, he was the Head of Photography and Printmaking at the Apart Oficina de Arts, Lisbon. The exhibition SMILE / Ways to Measure Time is Salgado’s first solo exhibition in Portugal.
Galeria Diferença
Rua São Filipe Nery 42 C/V, Lisbon, Portugal
Open from Tuesday to Friday 2 pm – 7 pm, Saturday 3 pm – 8 pm
Opening on 7 September 2022 from 4 pm to 8 pm. The Exhibition will be opened at 18:30 by H.E. Ms. Satu Suikkari-Kleven, Ambassador of Finland to Portugal
Exhibition catalogue available. For any enquiry, please contact via.salgado.silvio@gmail.com.
Supported by
Taike - The Arts Promotion Centre Finland
Vienna International Apartment Art Association
Embassy of Finland, Lisbon