Lisbon 2024 June 25

Hi,

Today we saw some of the most moving and thoughtful shows so far. First was a show of Latin American artists in the studio of Pilar Andaluz. She invited 4 Latin American jewelers to show their work in her studio. She had a small space at the entry which was perfect for showing work. The workspaces were in the back. And then there was a lovely patio behind. We picked up Mike Holmes along the way who just arrived from San Francisco this morning but seemed to still be awake. Here is the studio space and Pilar.

And Mike Holmes joins Pilar and Luz Arias

This work is based on the political idea that everyone has a right to be fed. These are small rice forms in brass I think by Nina Lima

This Brazilian jeweler uses porcelain and woven cotton in all of her work. They are about the 21 years since the Brazilian Revolution. So all of the pieces represent the number 21 in some way or another. Very clever. Her name is Marcia Lima.

This hilarious person is Maria Eugenia Muñoz. Her goblets were cast from avocados and when she poured wine into them they leaked spreading beautiful stains on the white linen beneath. It represented the desecration of nature.

This jeweler is Luz Arias who uses glass to make her work.

Then we went to the apartment of Lena Karpilova, an immigrant from Belarus who showed the work of other immigrants. The stories were heartbreaking. This first one is a Hoffman award winner named Tamara Marbl Joka from the former Yugoslavia. Her work is mainly made from concrete and is about the destruction and perseverance of her people in light of the dissolution of her country.

This necklace is by a Russian jeweler named Into Niilo. The two pieces at the top of the necklace fit together and each shape on down fit together and come apart. This represents the idea of separating from a place. Niilo wants to separate from his home country. He/she doesn't want to belong to Russia anymore.

This necklace called Away is by South African artist Helen Clara Hemsley. She left South Africa to come to Florida to be a nanny then to England, Scotland, and finally to Denmark. She became a citizen of Ireland (her grandfather was from there). She currently lives in Denmark with her husband and children where she also obtained a passport. This necklace represents the upheaval and effort of relocating and obtaining so many passports among other things.

This group of pins is an installation by Sharareh Aghael from Iran. In response to the oppression of women, she left Iran twelve years ago. She had a hard time adjusting to a new life. This piece is about displacement.

These pieces are made by the Ukrainian jeweler Nastasia Fomina who was forced to leave the country in 2022 when the Russians attacked. She is using bullet cartridges to make what I would call a talisman to protect the wearer from the destruction of the bullets.

Next, we visited the Galeria Resistência where they presented a show of Ukranian jewelers. There was a small catalog produced to go with the show as well. It is amazing

that these artists find the space in their creative beings to make things while their homeland is being attacked.

Ielizaveta Portnova has titled this piece How Are You, a terrible thing to ask any Ukranian.