Based on a project initiated in 2021, artist Sandra Baía invites the public to explore a narrative composed of material, texture, and form. The local authorities noted in a statement that through “a simultaneously industrial and sensitive approach, the visual artist affirms a plastic identity deeply connected to silhouettes and textures of a foundational body, movement, and action on matter.”
In an interview, Sandra Baía explained the exhibition’s symbolic aspects. She revealed that the name for the exhibition was inspired by the realization that the chosen room in the former monastery has “13 doors and 13 windows.”
“And since my work entails a lot of spatial elements, I incorporated the 13 chairs. It’s a very minimalist piece; they aren’t really 13 chairs but rather 13 synonyms of chairs,” she clarified.
Those who visit the exhibition “will encounter various elements, many of them colorful, all engaging with the space’s architecture,” she mentioned.
“I find it a fascinating room. And I think it’s well achieved, modesty aside,” Sandra Baía added, explaining that the room’s length makes it “very artistically challenging to work with,” and it has “a significant architectural presence.”
She continued, “My work is never about placing artworks within a space but about working the space with the artworks. I operate the other way around. I’m not the kind of artist who arrives and hangs frames on the wall. I prefer to grasp the spatial context, the space’s architecture, and then introduce the artworks into that setting.”
According to the statement, Sandra Baía was born in Lisbon in 1968, where she currently resides and works. She studied Visual Arts at the National Society of Fine Arts and has been exhibiting her work regularly since the early 2000s.
Her recent exhibitions include ‘Cobrir para vestir de novo’ and ‘Sempre e Nunca Mais’ at the Elvas Contemporary Art Museum, ‘Osso Ilíaco’ (Art For the City, Brussels), ‘Do Lado Mais Visível das Imagens’ (Contemporary Art Center of Coimbra), ‘Cicatriz’ (Zet Gallery, Braga), and ‘Connecting’ (Casal Solleric, Palma de Mallorca), according to the press release.
Sandra Baía also showcased ‘Wild Urbanity’ (Galeria Filomena Soares, Lisbon), ‘Finger Print’ (Manolo Paz Foundation, Pontevedra), ‘Formas Encontradas’ (Madeira Contemporary Art Museum), ‘Diálogos com Amadeo’ (Municipal Museum Amadeo de Souza Cardoso), among others.
Her work is included in national and international collections, such as the Berardo Collection Museum, the Portuguese Cinematheque, Helga de Alvear Museum, Dardo Foundation, António Cachola Collection, Julião Sarmento Collection, Madeira Contemporary Art Museum (MUDAS), François Schneider Foundation, and Travessa da Ermida.
In 2018, she was recognized at the 7th edition of Contemporary Talent by the François Schneider Foundation in Wattwiller, Alsace, France.
