Written by
Where's the frame
November 9, 2021 12:04 PM
GMT
Like nothing else in the universe, Brazilian artist Alice Quaresma pushes the boundaries of photography and painting by combining the two to manipulate the limits of time and memory. With playful strokes and splashes of vivid or pastel paint, tape and pencil, Alice reworks photographs, from an archival state—into a more vulnerable, direct and subjective state. It’s about looking for a sense of place, the manipulation of memory and trying to go beyond the limits of the photo paper. Here are 5 questions.
Which movie, for you, is like nothing else in the universe?
"City of God", Brazilian movie about three kids/teenagers growing up in a favela in Rio de Janeiro (my hometown) and having to deal with violence, corruption and the narcotraffic. Love the livelihood, toughness and how they still find ways to have fun and bring humour in the middle of so much disorder. The colours in this movie are stunning and I love their choice for raw/analogic image quality.
Can you tell me a little bit about the art ecosystem in London and how it differs from New York?
The art scene in London that I experienced during my BFA at CSM (2003-2007) was intense with lots of new experiences and art references to absorb. It was all about the group critiques. I truly appreciate all the group critiques I participated in in London, It challenged me and taught me creative resilience. In NY, I learned to produce my artwork, turn concepts into actual work. In NY it's been about the work process. I learned here to let go a bit, to give space for unplanned things to happen, to let the work breathe, to be present.
Which of your pieces is your personal favourite, and you feel like it is like nothing else in your universe? Share your thoughts and stories behind it!
It's hard for me to choose a favourite. So I will choose an artwork from my series "AtHome" from last year that I created during the pandemic. The title of the work is "Better Days". This work is about home, it combines one image of NY and one image of Rio de Janeiro in the background. The work is nostalgic and refers to identity and growth. Also, this entire series became my window to the outside world when we were locked inside. For the "AtHome'' series, I created a visual/imaginary relationship between these two places I call home.
What do you find most exciting in our contemporary culture?
Technology! The ability to communicate and access to information.
Do you have anything exciting planned for this year that you look forward to?
Yes! I was invited by Folie à Plusieurs to create a perfume inspired by my artwork (colours, textures, images and concept). I like to create beyond the surface of the paper and the canvas. Folie à Plusieurs creates conceptual fragrances to broaden our emotional, intellectual and cultural experience. They use fragrance as a medium of deepening our emotional connection with art. We worked for more than a year together and we titled the perfume "HOPE". The perfume will be launched in October.
You can collect the pieces she's created for LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE here.
Follow Artist on her instagram and website.
Artwork photographs courtesy of the artist. Portraits taken by the artist
where’s the frame? - ‘LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE’ is a collection of 6 up and coming international artists. The collection is available from October 14, 2021 until January 14, 2022.
