GALLERY
Mariana Murta – Mezinhas
22.3.25 – 31.7.25
According to legend, on the way to the Camino de Santiago there is a rock in Santa Cruz, Almodôvar that the local population calls miraculous. Close to an abandoned church, next to a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Caves, lies a stone painted in white with a ledge that under the right light resembles a distorted face.
Allegedly, this stone upon the completion of a bizarre ritual, has the ability to cure headaches. This ritual consists of walking nine laps around the chapel, always praying, followed by nine bumps with your head on the stone. It is said that the constant friction of the bumps against the stone led to one of the ledges to look like a human head.
Our bodies are made of internal encounters, moulded by our own particular cultural background of flesh against stone. Formed and sculpted by the pain of others; the body as an heirloom.
In these works, the tenderness and vulnerability of flesh are pictured against the unyielding force and order of belief. The female body is portrayed in different stages of healing and nausea. Solely in portions, ever in chaos. An implicit motherly hand brings comfort with homemade remedies of dubious nature. Nudging the unruly into order by completion of rituals that may or may not cause more harm than good. The male religious order, brought forth by female hands.
We try to make sense of things through doctrine, through discipline, faith. The same beliefs we use to mould and control the perception of how we see ourselves in relation to our bodies and in relation to others. These works provide no answer. There is only the search for healing, for comfort within these systems of moulding and being moulded and finding them at times both comforting, claustrophobic and alien.
Mariana Murta (1991) is a Portuguese artist born in Setúbal. After studying Visual Arts & Multimedia at the University of Évora and ArtEZ University of the Arts (NL), she graduated magna cum laude with a Master in Fine Arts Painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium in 2017 and has been living there ever since.
Mariana’s practice circles role playing and expressive self-portraits that examine themes of gender and identity. In her paintings and installations the female body is represented in an humorous and abject way, to provide an alternative femininity outside of its habitual representations and archetypes.
Her work has been shown in group shows and solo exhibitions across Europe, such as the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Prague, Czech Republic; Arti et Amicitea and Witteveen Visual Art Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Plan D Gallery in Düsseldorf, Germany. Her work got nominated for the Hendrik Valk prize in 2014 and the Salon Painting prize KoMASK in 2017. Her series EMbrace is part of the permanent collection of the Startpoint prize award. We are proud to present her first solo show here in the land of her roots at tender prospects.
Mariana Murta – Carne e Pedra [2024]
BOOKS
At tender prospects, we host a philosophy library and a changing selection of new and second hand (art) books for sale. Browse a part of the selection below, or come into the store to check out more books. All books can be ordered online by sending an email to books@tenderprospects.com and send to any EU country. Prices as shown are excluding costs for shipping and customs.
monthly changing selection of books for sale
ET CETERA
Above the gallery is a small atelier space (7m2) where we host working residencies. Artists, writers, curators and researchers are invited to apply for a working residency of 1, 2 or 4 weeks. All of our library books are available as reference, and during the resident’s stay we aim to host a reading, screening, workshop or other event together. Applications can be send year-round, and should include CV and/or portfolio, a short overview (max. 1 page) of the project to be worked on during the residency and the preferred month or period to come over. Residency costs are €150/week. Applications or request for more information can be send to residency@tenderprospects.com.