Painting, Photography and Installation Exhibition“So Far but So Close: a look at culture and identity” by Rebecca Pereira
November 6th to 30th
Painter Samora Barros Art Gallery
Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
“My art seeks to remedy the current world, where family tradition and heritage are often overlooked. This body of work represents extensive research that leads to the deconstruction and re-creation of my family’s coat of arms. The main European families in each country (as well as my Portuguese family), were recognized by these coats of arms, which were and are shown on banners, clothing, jewelry etc … Over the centuries across Europe (starting with the Roman Empire), kings chose their children and certain families to carry these arms as a form of recognition against other families. The person is recognized by these arms, as well as by the achievements decorated on the coat of arms and by the animal (which would symbolize its crest, placed on top of the family coat of arms). The Portuguese monarchy ended in 1910, and many families today have disregarded this type of identity marker because it no longer holds power or meaning.
For this project I embarked on the discovery of different materials and means to design my creations. After studying and researching each element of my family’s coat of arms, I decided to take the narrative painting approach (through the traditional glazed ceramic tile medium) and design, and create compositions based on specific elements of the coat of arms. For my narrative paintings, I substitute humans for animals that represent their coat of arms, mixing elements of surrealism, mythology, fantasy and realism. I decontextualize these historical events, staged, forcing my absence of identity through the choice of elements in the narrative composition.
My most recent work examines the use of the animal on my coat, in the context of my growth in the United Arab Emirates. This involves exploring outdoor landmarks that have had a personal impact ”.
Rebecca Pereira was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates, with Portuguese roots. Pereira is headquartered between the United Arab Emirates and Portugal and has a degree in Fine Arts and Design.
His practice explores themes of identity, culture and society in a personal context. Rebecca has participated in several exhibitions and is an emerging artist.