As seduções do desejo, 2023

As seduções do desejo [The seductions of desire] is an installation that summons nature and the cultural notions it has been historically associated with. Looking at five gardens, five paradigmatic cases of natural spaces designed by human beings, I reinterpreted the character of each one of them in large woolen cloths according to compositions that explore collage and the superposition of elements. The 5 idyllic gardens object of my study are the Jardin Giverny (Giverny, France) by Claude Monet, the Sissinghurst Castle Garden by Vita Sackville-West (Sissinghurst, England), the Giardinni of Villa d’Este, commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este (Tivoli, Italy), the Jardin Majorelle (Marrakech, Morocco) by Jacques Majorelle, and the Zen Garden of the Ryoan-ji temple (Kyoto, Japan).

These gardens are situated in distinct geographical contexts and cultural traditions and have always seduced me by the field of intensities and sensory stimuli they represent. The landscape architecture, the distribution of motifs, the chromatic palette, the excitement and serenity, and the surprise and enchantment they provide — each in its own way — offer me a unique aesthetic experience and awaken intense physical and emotional sensations.

The gathering of these 5 idyllic gardens frames a picnic scene, where a series of copper-covered utilitarian objects are arranged on a classic checkered tablecloth. The blanket and two pillows evoke the meeting of two people. The suggested performative action is completed with fresh food, fruits, and bread. The environment is amplified by Natura #8, with the sound of running water and chirping birds. A group of five stones, three granite, and two white quartzes, marks a place of reverence. The blue neon phrase, “¡No te vayas!” flickers in the space. Hanging from the ceiling, the piece Move out, a large sky painted in shades of blue, protects and surrounds all the elements.


Ana Pérez-Quiroga
May 18, 2023


Photography by Jorge das Neves

5 pedras [5 stones] + Natura #8, 2023

Granite, white quartz + Mp3 sound file, 1’ loop.
Variable dimensions.

This group of 5 stones, three granite and two white quartz, marks a place of veneration, being the visual environment amplified with the sound of water running and birds.

I have always collected stones - from various places on the planet, they were calling me - some larger, some smaller, some kept in my pockets, some carrying my arms, with effort. The stones I have, produce in me various emotions, which I highlight: calm, enchantment, nostalgia, satisfaction, admiration, visual appreciation, sympathy, interest, joy.

The stones of this piece come from Sezures, a village in Beira Alta, which serves as a refuge. Granite is a rock formed by the cooling and solidification of magma, and is composed of quartz, feldespar and mica. In this region, its shade is gray. The greatest of these granites is covered with lichens and moss, which I rego regularly in winter and summer I leave hibernate. The two white quartz are so mysterious. Due to the triboluminescence phenomenon, when they rubbing each other, they cause a sample and an intense smell that burns free.

This piece was part of the APQHOME - MAAT installation, shown in Maat in 2017.

Ana Pérez-Quiroga
Madrid, 2 de junho de 2023

Photography by Jorge das Neves

The event’s outcome, 2022

14 objects (glasses, ballpoint pen, notebook, hairpin, eyeliner, mirror, ring, earrings, string with pendant, cigar, cigar cutter, matches, pin, pair of shoes) coated in copper using electroforming, fixed on an opaque red acrylic plate.

18 x 150 x 50 cm

Desenlace do acontecimento

Desenlace do acontecimento [The event’s outcome] is the glorification of the love which the chosen person, alive and available to receive this emotion, arouses in the other. The chosen objects can have various readings, and who they represent is not immediately apparent. Addressing gender issues, these objects all belong to an entity unknown to the spectator — who is invited to appropriate them in a way that gives body to who they see represented there. This piece, therefore, needs the spectacular to become a participant, to fill in the blanks. Whether it is a projection, fabulation, or even a total appropriation, the piece does not exist without the one who sees it.
These objects symbolize not only love, and fascination, but also desire. This feeling transpires in its different meanings as we go through the piece and discover which objects have been chosen. From a cigar (associated with the masculine side) to the sharp hairpin, we are invited to draw upon this strange object of desire.

These fourteen intimate objects are associated with three categories: intellect, ornament, and feeling of self. Engaging in semantic recombination, these categories fit into seven categories, which I describe through an anthropomorphic model.

head – reason/intellect:
glasses, notebook, pen

eyes – seeing/feeling of self (the act of painting oneself):
eyeliner, mirror

mouth – speaking/ornament:
cigar and cutter

neck – life/ornament:
necklace with shrimp

heart – emotion/ornament:
pin

hands – making/ornament:
ring, mirror, cigar, cigar cutter, matches,
pen, notebook

feet – walk/ornament:
pair of shoes

This sculpture was created using electroforming technology, a chemical process of depositing a layer of copper on chosen objects. The choice of copper, a malleable material with an orange color, makes harmony between the parts possible: the red acrylic at the base, the color of blood that binds an idea of power, and the coppered objects complement each other. This technique consists of encapsulating everyday objects by coating them in this material, which keeps all the details of the original objects, such as marks of use, imperfections, and even original texture.

This unique and unrepeatable piece marks the beginning of a new phase of a work that has been continuously focused on the issues of everyday life.

Ana Pérez-Quiroga
Lisbon, May 8, 2022


Photography by Jorge das Neves

The event’s outcome, 2022

14 objects (glasses, ballpoint pen, notebook, hairpin, eyeliner, mirror, ring, earrings, string with pendant, cigar, cigar cutter, matches, pin, pair of shoes) coated in copper using electroforming, fixed on an opaque red acrylic plate.

18 x 150 x 50 cm


Photography by Jorge das Neves

The event’s outcome, 2022

14 objects (glasses, ballpoint pen, notebook, hairpin, eyeliner, mirror, ring, earrings, string with pendant, cigar, cigar cutter, matches, pin, pair of shoes) coated in copper using electroforming, fixed on an opaque red acrylic plate.

18 x 150 x 50 cm


Photography by Jorge das Neves