The Ministry of Culture of Brazil, Instituto Guimarães Rosa, The Embassy of Brazil in London, CBF Indústria de Gusa, Grupo Ferroeste and Anglo American present the exhibition
by Ana Elisa Murta
who presents abstract paintings created as part of her unique research on colour properties of Brazilian ores.
In the words of curator Renata Mindlin, "Ana Elisa Murta's commitment to the painterly process is absolute. Her abstract compositions have an elaborate fabrication, of countless layers and textures – a reflection of the depth of her investigation around colour".
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Ana Elisa has fully embraced her vocation as an artist in recent years. However, she has been an artist throughout her life. From a very early age, she would create and experiment with colours and images, having taken numerous art classes and maintained an enduring connection with drawing and painting as means to convey her deepest emotions and thoughts. Nevertheless, it was only after graduating in law and building a successful career in business that she was finally able to dedicate herself to her artistic practice with intensity.
While balancing her most treasured roles of mother and wife, Ana Elisa has had an active artistic agenda since 2019, having held solo exhibitions in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Cascais, Montreux, Pully – and now in London.
In current times, as we live in a “civilisation of the spectacle”, as described by Vargas Llosa, Ana Elisa Murta has the nerve to entice feelings, sensations and reflections through a quiet, subtle expedient: by inviting the viewer to take a contemplative pause, to create their own inner temporality, one of greater sensitivity, delicacy, and connection with the whole.
The exhibition presents what is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of her craft: Ana Elisa always had art as a vehicle to her deepest self, and the paintings we bring together here at Sala Brasil are a further development of that connection. Each and every one of the artworks around us was created by employing paints that the artist made herself, utilising pigments she extracted from ores and minerals that she found while walking and meandering around her native town of Serro, in Minas Gerais state.
Although abstract in nature, those paintings are indeed a poetic way to look at Brazil's heartlands and into an artist's heart.
WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP
Paint-making with natural pigments
On 9 and 10 August, an opportunity to explore the creative power of nature
In this one-hour workshop, the artist will first introduce the participants to her research and creative process as a whole. She will then proceed to explain and demonstrate how she discovered and utilised the colour properties of rocks and ores she encountered along her journey.
The attendees will learn how she identifies the properties of each mineral, ensuring they are non-toxic and that each pigment is chromatically stable. They will also learn how to select, grind, pulverise, and mix these minerals, and finally, they will learn her methods of emulsification and dilution. After a Q&A session, the participants will have the opportunity to manipulate the materials, try the technique themselves, and create their own paint.
The workshop takes place on occasion of Ana Elisa Murta's solo exhibition Colour Diving, held at Sala Brasil. Participation is free, but booking is essential. As places are very limited, we kindly ask our guests to cancel their booking if they are unable to attend, thus allowing others to join the event.
