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ARTIST KATE TOLEDO WILL BE SHOWCASING HER SOLO ART EXHIBITION THIS MONTH, WHICH TAKES INSPIRATION FROM LISBON
Artist Kate Toledo will be showcasing her solo art exhibition this month, which takes inspiration from Lisbon
Dubai based artist Kate Toledo launched her fourth solo exhibition entitled “The Portuguese Collection, A Retrospective on Portuguese History Through Modern
Travels” on Nov.1. The exhibition is hosted by PROART Gallery on Jumeirah Beach Road and will run till the end of the month.
The Portuguese Collection is a tribute to the country’s 17th and 18th century ceramic works and antiquities. The works represent the artist’s own interpretation of the tile and faiança works, featured on the buildings in Lisbon, bringing together the intricate patterns and animal scenes depicted.
The series, which took close to three years to complete, is a collection of canvas works inspired, in part, by Reinado Wanili, one of the few documented faiança artists along with his unnamed, yet equally skilled, counterparts.
Toledo recently spoke to Panorama about her exhibition and inspirations, among other things.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in East Africa, schooled in New Zealand and travelled the world at a young age, finally settling in London for a while. On my return to New Zealand, I worked in the film industry, later marrying a
Brazilian which involved a move to Sao Paulo, at the time the third largest city in the world, with more that 24 million inhabitants. We moved to Dubai over 10 years.
Tell us about your latest work and your inspiration behind it.
This collection, of more than a dozen paintings and three silk scarves, is a tribute to Portugal’s 17th and 18th century tiles and faiança heritage. I am happy to say that Lisbon has become our second home and we have been travelling to this historical and inspirational city since 2012.
Many of the paintings feature animals. Any significance behind that?
Looking back over my last three exhibitions, animals feature in almost every painting. As the theme of all the collections is immersed in historical storytelling, animals take their place in history and make up a large part of our story.
When and how did you first become interested in art?
I first became interested and aware of art as a young girl. My father hung large imposing pieces throughout the house I grew up in. These paintings I would never forget, they became an integral part of my time spent in the house and consequently my day. At secondary school, I studied History of Art and, upon leaving school, used to take night classes in drawing.
What themes do you pursue/like to pursue in your art?
Themes would be my interpretation; representation of historical artefacts; storytelling of days gone by; the reinvention and my personal twist of decorative elements used; the embellishment techniques, how and why patterns were used; museum pieces that we would like to own but never can, they belong to us all; and bringing these pieces into our daily lives through a painting.
How do you know when a piece of art is complete?
When all the colours are in some kind of joyous harmony.
What does “being creative” mean to you?
A certain way of looking at the world, catching the small beautiful instants around us almost every moment, recognising these slithers of life and transforming them somehow through photography, the arts, design and writing, of course.
Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?
For me, its paints, brushes and something to paint on. What’s the last artwork you purchased?
It was September 2017. We bought from Carbon 12, a portrait of Joseph Stalin by Iranian artist Amir Khojasteh.
What work of art do you wish you owned?
That is very difficult to answer. Any piece painted by Matisse, Cy Twombly, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud. Or Farhad Moshiri and, of course, a piece by my favourite Portuguese artist Gil Heitor Cortesão.
What international art destination do you most want to visit?
I’ve visited many. I’m really looking forward to visiting The Louvre opening in Abu Dhabi on Nov.15 this year
Who’s your favourite artist and their painting?
I love Matisse and have been inspired by his compositions and colour use.