Francisco Mendes Moreira (Coimbra, 1979) is often described as a self-taught artist, when actually it is his determination to forge his own path free from generational influence —exploring media, solutions, and images to convey to his worldview— that is more remarkable. He paints on found cardboard, tablecloths, fabrics, and quilts; he creates papier-mâché objects, engaging in a dialogue with his surroundings. He starts with things close at hand and sprinkles them with allusions to a culture so broad and diverse that he is able to interconnect Brueghel, Piero, classical painting, Picasso, Surrealism, Philip Guston, comics, traditional music, the blues, Kerouac, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Neil Young, allusions to films and song lyrics, verses and titles.
Direct yet mysterious, his work initially provokes a strong sense of unease, prompting us to ask: where did such an unconventional and free-spirited artist come from? Undoubtedly, from the need to express himself. He works by trying to make it happen, starting with his chosen media as a canvas, and then the paint suggests where to go next. Nothing is homogeneous or staid; everything emerges and is decided in the process. The painting progresses in layers and is defined by the dialogue between characters, forms, and action. And there is something unsettling about the scale, and in the way he shifts the colors toward grays… Things that happen when painting is free and visceral, and when it possesses humor and rigor.
His paintings contain a striking interplay of reflections, views and directions, as well as a strong use of masks. Bodies are sometimes equipped with articulations verging on the mechanical; each character is separate, in stylistic terms, but the scene is integrated, uniform, and dynamic; in the end, the works relate to each other, creating a kind of narrative story, another additional invention.
Miguel Fernández-Cid / Pilar Souto Soto, curators of the exhibition
GENERAL INFORMATION / DOCUMENTATION / ACTIVITIES
School programme
In collaboration with: Fundación “la Caixa”
Until June 25
Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10:00 to 11:30 and 11:30 to 13:00
By appointment: tel. 986 113900 Ext. 200 / 986 113900 Ext. 308 / comunicacion@marcovigo.com
Programme for associations, collectives and special needs groups.
In collaboration with: Fundación “la Caixa”
From June 16
Opening hours: depending on case-by-case requirements and availability
By appointment: tel. 986 113900 Ext. 200 / 986 113900 Ext. 308 / comunicacion@marcovigo.com
Summer workshops for children and families
In collaboration with: Fundación “la Caixa”
From July 7
By appointment: tel. 986 113900 Ext. 200 / 986 113900 Ext. 308 / recepcion@marcovigo.com
Information and guided tours
Museum staff in the exhibition galleries are available to answer visitors’ queries and provide information. In addition to the usual guided tours: 'À la carte' tours for groups, by appointment every day at 18:00.
