In her series “Weird Stuff I Have at Home", artist Sara Gonçalves deals with everyday objects from her domestic environment. The twelve works in this series depict various objects, but the highly abstract style of representation only leaves the viewer room for speculation as to what exactly they are. The works thus encourage the viewer to explore and question the boundaries between the familiar and the unfamiliar.
New perspectives on the banal
Objects that surround us every day often seem inconspicuous and self-evident. But Gonçalves gives these banal objects a new meaning through her artistic treatment and makes us reflect on their significance and origin. Unlike classic still lifes, where objects are clearly recognizable and often symbolically charged, Gonçalves denies us easy access to an unambiguous interpretation. Instead, her abstract depictions play with the viewer's perception. They invite us to look at things anew and reflect on how the familiarity of objects dissolves in abstraction.
The artist's personal touch is not conveyed through the explicit naming of the objects, but through the way she shapes them: as if through a prism that distorts and alienates reality. What appears to be “weird” is not necessarily the object itself, but the way in which the artist presents it to us - alienated, discolored, sometimes at unconventional angles or in unpredictable compositions. It is this artistic intervention that gives the work its surreal, sometimes even dreamlike character. Everyday objects appear strange not because of their nature, but through the artist's lens, which shows them to us in a new light.
One's own space as artistic inspiration
With this series, Gonçalves joins a long tradition of artists who deal with the everyday. For centuries, the still life has been a central genre in the history of art, reflecting a fascination with the objects of everyday life. From the Dutch masters of the Golden Age to modern interpretations by Andy Warhol or Giorgio Morandi, the depiction of objects has inspired artists throughout the ages. Reinterpreting this tradition is also a key to Gonçalves' work. Her works are in line with these historical still lifes, but stand out due to her particularly personal and expressive approach. Rather than emphasizing the rich detail of the objects, as was common in 17th century Dutch painting, for example, Gonçalves depicts the objects as enigmatic fragments of her everyday life. Her color palette, which runs through the entire series, appears harmonious and expressive at the same time, lending the objects a new energy. Here, the banality of everyday life is not only celebrated, but transformed into something mysterious, almost sacred.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I paint what I see, what I feel, what I am.
I paint to rediscover the essence of a memory. Of what I am, of what I've seen, and felt. I paint my life.
Expression and spontaneity are key elements in my work because I want to induce the observer into a dream.
I want to create a sense of familiarity with daily objects and settings that we know but do it through a colourful and innocent lens, transporting you to the world I want to see.
A world tainted with emotion, feeling, and intuition.
- Sara Gonçalves
Sara Gonçalves, born in 1998 in Porto, Portugal, has a background deeply rooted in the arts. She studied ballet intensively for 12 years, including participation in workshops with Pina Bausch’s company and Aterballetto/Fondazione Nazionale della Danza. However, painting has always been a significant passion for her, becoming her main form of artistic expression since 2018, when she emigrated to Barcelona, where she lived until returning to Porto in 2020. She attended the Artistic School Soares dos Reis in Porto and is currently studying at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Porto.
Her oeuvre includes portraits and scenes from everyday life, but always with a characteristic, figurative style of expression, characterized by a rich palette and free, almost gestural brushwork. In her works, Gonçalves remains true to her need to reinterpret and alienate the everyday - be it through her portraits or the depictions of seemingly simple objects, which she shows us in a new, fascinating light.
Culturebites is a cultural association founded by Cristina Biasetto and Christiane Gastl focused on sharing and exploring art and culture. With backgrounds in cultural and social anthropology, art history and design, they create various projects. Through exhibitions and discussions, culturebites aims to connect with fellow art enthusiasts and broaden the cultural conversation.
The curatorial design of the exhibition and the responsibility for the content of the catalogue lie with the culturebites cultural association. All rights remain with the artist.