Studios

No. 9 JANUARY 2015

We still know very little about the system of values and representations of Portuguese artists and how they actually live. How do artists work in Portugal? How do they define their «place of work» and what relationship is there between the characteristics of these spaces and the nature of their works? What rhythms, habits, methods and materials do they usually use? What is the relationship between the spaces where ideas arise and the places where they become a reality? In short, what is the importance of the «working environment» in the life models, the expectations and the collective identity of Portuguese creators?

This book aims first of all to bring the general public closer to the daily work experience of a group of Portuguese visual artists. It is therefore neither an exercise in art criticism nor an essay on aesthetic theory but rather a report that, looking closely at the production spaces, wants to offer the reader another understanding of their problems and difficulties, but also of their ideas and concerns, as well as their place and role in today's society.