local markets :: joana rosa bragança

hello there, how are you? did you have a nice start yesterday? around here, a busy week is upon us, so let’s keep going so that i can grab some lunch after this, shall we? so today is local markets‘ day and as usual, i try to bring someone really talented and with a strong will of making it work – their passion and devotion to a dream. usually these are small business owners who have found their dream job and are pursuing it, going through all the ups and downs that are so crucial to succeed.

these talented entrepreneurs are featured here as a way of showing you what is being done in this country or by people who were born here, even if living abroad. once i read a quote by luis pereira of 100ml that made total sense for this project as well “we prefer to change the country, rather changing to another country”. in this time of crisis, in which we are almost forced to live abroad in the hope of a better life, there are some that are sticking to it and trying everything they can to make it work. of course that this doesn’t mean that those who live abroad are not making the effort, or won’t be featured here, but i thought this quote was good enough to be shared!

and who do we have today? an illustrator, a print-maker, a photographer and a sculptress all in the figure of a girl who has a whole world inside her head, full of funny characters, sometimes furry ones, sometimes quite portuguese and typical ones, but all very strong willing. here’s a magnificent description of joana rosa bragança, our guest today:

a joana rosa bragança surgiu de lugar algum, e imediatamente foi e é sua a música das esferas. dotada de um vocabulário urgente e vigoroso, é com surpresa e intranquilidade que passamos a viver com o seu trabalho. ao observarmos o seu cortejo impossível de pessoas e bichos, percebemo-la a ombrear com o traço fundamental de beatrix potter, mas com o imperativo grotesco de maurice sendak. a sua arte tornaria possível o vento nos salgueiros por edward gorey, e subtraído de uma outra época, o senhor hulot, vai uma vez mais de férias. joana rosa anuncia um universo lírico e convulso, umas vezes picaresco, outras hirsuto e revolto. mas sempre irónico e profundamente crítico. existe aqui um humor e um rumor proveniente de um universo paralelo. a joana rosa na realidade não surgiu de lugar algum, ela provém de um mundo maravilhoso e desconhecido que habita as sombras do quotidiano. e que nos observa. e que nos deseja sob a forma de desenho. – joão maio pinto

i couldn’t really translate this, because it’s so poetic, that i don’t have the skills to do it. but somehow joao maio pinto describes joana rosa as someone that came from nowhere, has an urgent & strong vocabulary and when we start observing her work with people and animals, it’s possible to notice the influence of beatrix potter and maurice sendak all in one. she lives in a lyric universe, with an ironic tone and profoundly critic. she comes from a beautiful world, where she observes us and wishes us in the shape of an illustration. i just could not deeply appreciate her talent for so many mediums, sculpture, illustration, drawing, print-making, photography (so connected with film photography)…

these last ones are some of my favourite! the first figures just make me laugh, i imagine them as typical portuguese old people sitting on a bench talking about others and all the gossip around them. the last one is so incredibly sweet, with the striped sweater and the old book! joana has a lot to offer from her world and i invite you to explore her website to find out more about her, as well as her blog, with all the news, her etsy shop, in case you’re interested in something signed by her and another treat for cat lovers – she has a blog dedicated to cats!  i hope you have enjoyed this week’s talent!

did you enjoy finding about joana? look here for more portuguese talents!

have you been featured on local markets? grab a button and place it on your blog!

what is local markets? a community dedicated to the very best portuguese talented & independent artists that strive for an original work and exquisitely executed handmade design & photography. once a week, there will be a special feature for these artists, to spread the word about their talent, to introduce you to new & fresh work. local markets is an original feature from a place for twiggs. you can read more about this feature here and join the facebook page for news!