Andrea Portela is a contemporary artist. She was born in Minas Gerais, but has lived in different regions of Brazil, acquiring a unique sensitivity. She was a costume designer and worked in an academic career, always connected to art by publishing texts in magazines and books. She spoke of the act of dressing as a creative act of a wearable performance. She was the first researcher to explore the clothing collection of the Mariano Procópio Museum, in Juiz de Fora - MG, where she lives. Until the restlessness to create became inevitable, she dedicated herself exclusively to artistic exploration. Today she participates in collectives and art exhibitions.
How did your journey into the art world begin?
As a child, I had a place to walk barefoot in the small town of Miraí, in Minas Gerais, where simplicity and beauty fueled my curiosity, an inexhaustible source of inspiration that ran wild and still pokes me today. I saw drawings in the clouds and on the walls, and I received commissions for drawings that I accepted without any commitment to knowledge. I lived in different places in Brazil and I always carried the wild line with me, no matter how much books and techniques have crossed my path.
How would you describe your artistic style?
I think I have a stylistic diversity. I say "I think" because I'm not fond of definitions. And, although I always want to do something new, people know how to identify what I do. I think it's because I'm spontaneous. I don't force my identity or style, but there's a connection with Abstract Expressionism. Maybe because I let my whole body work, making the gesture charged with emotion.
What themes do you prefer to explore in your works?
Everything that my eyes can see can be a theme, but I prefer to listen to my thoughts because they are full of concerns and I need to express them or alleviate them, depending on the moment. I am a person concerned with environmental, social and political issues. In short, I live in my time, which is complex, disturbing and challenging. Visually, the issues are getting mixed up, blurred, taking the path of abstractions. Everything is somewhat undefined because part of it is me making choices, and part of it is the work that demands it of me.
What materials and techniques do you use most often?
Acrylic, charcoal, pastel and watercolor are what I've been using most lately. I'm passionate about woodcuts! Every now and then, I create a separate ritual to venture into wood. I also like to experiment with unusual materials that I find, collage, embroidery, and I've been testing natural pigments that I prepare myself. In my processes, deconstruction and intuition dictate the paths.
Who are the artistic influences that have impacted your work?
It is always good to look for references, to engage in aesthetic dialogue with other artists and to receive their influences, as if we were engaging in dialogue with the History of Art itself. Which is what we do, in a way. I have already mentioned Abstract Expressionism, but that is not all. I like all artistic movements from the 1960s onwards. And I am open to observing a little bit of everything, after all, art is universal and timeless. I always make a list to admire and change it occasionally, because if I were to fix it, it would be endless. Here is an updated list: Willem de Kooning, Antonio Berni, Lygia Clark, Lasar Segal, Kathe Kollwitz, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke... I like it that way, everything is different. There are colors, social themes, the way of describing the time in which they lived, so many things. Artists can and should change this list, what remains are their contributions that we intuitively incorporate.
What is the meaning of art in your life?
I use art as a record of my life, as a way of telling my story and, at the same time, hiding myself. It is my thoughts experiencing a bit of freedom. Where I can transform the banal into something worthy of contemplation. My laboratory for exploring senses, denouncing the present, projecting dreams and, who knows, a possible future.
How do you stay up to date on trends?
I believe in the power of collectives and I participate in several artist communities. Although social media activity is necessary to circulate information, I invest in constant study, reading specialized magazines and in face-to-face exchanges with a good teacher and other artists. For me, these are indispensable practices and should be constant.
What is the role of the artist in today's society?
I see art as an act of courage and freedom in an unequal society that increasingly restricts free thought. Digital media makes the situation worse because it is a powerful tool of persuasion. It goes beyond telling you to buy things; it dictates what you should say, do, feel, think, and believe. It is a space full of lies and alienation. I am in favor of technology; my question is about the violence of persuasion and the slavery of thought. How can we break away from all this, think for ourselves, and see more of reality? Art does not speak loudly or argue. It sensitizes you, awakens you, and subtly makes you see. It is part of micropolitics. In such a dangerous moment, with humanity suffering the effects of climate change and the rise of neofascism, art is a very powerful instrument of information and struggle, as long as it is the fight for the weakest or it becomes yet another mechanism of oppression. Therefore, the role of the artist is to take a stand for a more just and egalitarian society.
