local markets :: ana ventura

and we’re back for another local markets’ feature! this has been the longest feature on the blog i believe! we will reach 100 artists soon! today i’m actually featuring someone whose work i’ve had the pleasure of seeing on an exhibition here in lisbon! this artist was actually there along with camilla engman, as both hosted an exhibition called “distant friends“. i was however too shy to introduce myself… the usual! so as you already saw by the title, our guest today is ana ventura, a visual artist living and working in lisbon.

“a degree in painting from the lisbon school of fine-arts was never going to be enough for a someone creative like ana ventura. and so, with support from the erasmus program, in 1999 she took a course in printmaking, illustration and painting at the école supérieure d’art visuel la cambre, in brussels. she is a multi-facetted illustrator and artist, and her unique style is found in a wide variety of media, from illustrated adhesive tape to paper dolls, from book markers to decorative wall stickers, from postcards to clothes and accessories.”

what seduces me more in ana’s work has to do with the beautiful details and soft colours she uses. the details reveal some approach to all things natural,  as many of her traces represent tiny bushes, leaves and trees. actually the colours she uses can often be found in nature, such as the yellow, green and brown. the characters she draws come from her imaginary world to which we travel, once we lay our eyes on her art. i don’t think it’s possible not to make up stories in our heads, once we see the characters she draws. from their gestures and facial expressions, it’s possible to imagine what they think, what they say and a whole story behind it!

when i visited ana’s and camilla’s exhibition “distant friends” there were several envelopes that were used by both of the ladies to exchange their mail and they were so interesting, as they were fully written with messages and drawings by both. i always remember of their envelopes when i send one, because as we often leave the outside part as a place to write postal addresses, names and not much, their imagination in such a random object as an envelope left me amazed. i guess that this might be a difference between artists and those who are not that creative – you can create something special with about anything you see.

“she has had solo and group exhibitions in portugal and abroad since 1996, and her most internationally recognized project has been her personalized all star sneakers for the centenary of converse in 2008. she regularly teaches in art workshops to those who are interested in discovering their creative voice. she is an artist at the gallery of the portuguese centre for silkscreen-printing (centro português de serigrafia-CPS); this was a technique that she used in the illustrations for the book “nove storie sull’amore”, the originals of which were exhibited in italy, spain and germany.”

as you can see, ana’s work has been featured in several art galleries across europe, which is actually something that i feel so proud of. we don’t hear much about visual artists whose work is featured abroad or we usually hear the same names over and over again. so it’s good to know that there are other artists that are being appreciated over our borders. go ahead and browse through ana’s work and find an admirable new world!

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