ARTPARIS 25: Art Paris 2025 Art Fair

The work "Longe ou Perto…é um aperto" speaks to the push and pull between distance and closeness, where even as one moves forward, the shadow of doubt and regret remains. It portrays the paradox of striving for freedom while being bound by a quiet sense of responsibility, a pull that is always present. The "aperto" or tightness becomes a metaphor for the unrelenting pressure of ambition and self-reflection, where the desire for progress is inextricably linked with the weight of unresolved emotions. This piece invites a deeper contemplation of how, no matter where we go, the tension between aspiration and regret never fully fades.

Ana Malta

"Longe ou Perto... É um aperto", 2025

Acrylic, oil bars and dry pastel on canvas

200 x 154 cm

The painting "Apostando numa Roma moderna" delves into the ever-present desire for change and the deep gratitude that comes when life evolves for the better. The artist draws a stark parallel to the cruelty of ancient Roman entertainment, where leopards were brutally mistreated in the Coliseum for the sake of amusement. In a poignant reflection, she writes in Portuguese "em coliseu meu...lazer nunca doeu" ("In my coliseum... leisure never hurt) a declaration that underscores her core belief: those who truly care for us do not treat us with harm.

Through this work, the artist invites a contemplation on self-worth, particularly in the context of relationships where suffering is often mistaken for love or care. This idea resonates beyond personal experiences, touching on themes like relationship violence and the broader societal tendency to believe that pain is something we must endure, especially women. "Apostando numa Roma moderna" is a visual manifesto that challenges the acceptance of suffering as inevitable, calling for a reclamation of self-respect and a recognition that true love is never rooted in cruelty.

Ana Malta

"Apostando numa Roma Moderna", 2025

Acrylic, oil bars and dry pastel on canvas

158 x 100 cm

In the painting "Dojos sociais" the artist reflects on how certain actions, which may lead to disastrous outcomes, are often viewed as crucial moments in our personal development. These unresolved struggles can spiral into an eternal cycle of overthinking. Yet, the piece emphasizes that this is precisely the purpose of "social dojos"—spaces where we find support, whether through family or friendships. These dojos are not just physical locations but metaphorical refuges where we confront our inner battles, allowing us to process, heal, and transform our struggles into something positive. In this way, the painting underscores the importance of community and human connection in navigating life's challenges.

Ana Malta

"Dojos Sociais", 2025

Acrylic, oil bars and dry pastel on canvas

100 x 150 cm

Ana Malta is a visual artist who lives and works in Lisbon. With an academic background in painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon and a master's degree in Creative Industries Management from UCP-Porto, Malta develops work in which color, patterns, and composition become the foundation of her visual expression. Her artistic practice is driven by aesthetic restlessness and the transformative potential of "error" as a creative tool.

Malta's work goes beyond the exploration of form and color; it becomes a space for investigating expression, the body, memory, and the relationship between the tangible and the unconscious. Her aesthetic pursuit is marked by contrasts, the study of compositional possibilities, and the interaction between error and intentionality. Ana Malta creates not just images but visual experiences that engage with the viewer's perception and emotion.

Manuela Pimentel ingeniously fuses together references to the traditional handicraft art of painted mural tiles with the aesthetics of street billboards and their cumulative layers of ripped and lacerated advertising posters. Bearing in mind post-war artists of the New Realism movement such as Mimmo Rotella, Raymond Hains or Jacques Villeglé, Pimentel incorporates or uses fragments of street posters she takes off herself as supports for her painted interventions. Using acrylic colours, the artist accurately reproduces traditional figures and scenes taken from the visual culture of the Portuguese tiles.

By integrating the tiles’ conventional chromaticism, iconography and naif-style rendering into specific wall-mounted artworks and by merging all of it with torn street posters, adding resins, rough mortar and neon lights, the artist reconfigures the place of the tile as a popular and decorative expression that used to belong to local collective memory, to inscribe it in the space of global artistic creation.