“Diálogo” by Tomás de Castro Neves

23.06.2023 ------> 05.08.2023

The set of pieces made for the Pride celebration seek to be like a place at the table. The chairs that mark the pieces symbolize this abstract place, but also the language on which we rely to formulate our speech. They are an opportunity for dialogue and a call for communication. The bodies that contort themselves as ideas interact with each other (and with you) to form larger ideas. They are compositions of movement and rigidity that seek to naturalize speech, the body, and nakedness. The empty, abstract space in which the characters are located becomes part of their contours, and a defining connection is created between the full and the empty. The difficult positions characterize the difficulty of expression and even of fitting the LGBTQ community into a normative dynamic. But the body adapts and learns to be otherwise. These bodies find comfort in discomfort. Dialogue presupposes meeting and listening, in a step forward that moves beyond conflict and seeks something better. It presupposes attention and conversation. It presupposes different points of view and looking forward, toward whatever comes next. These are bodies that sit, waiting. That remain available. That long for change. It comes next.

Tomás de Castro Neves is a Portuguese artist who found his voice while drawing. With a background in architecture, and having lived in Lisbon, Porto and Mexico City, his art is a constant search of purpose, focusing on emotions, the body, and scale. The result is a variety of expressions that guide us through daily life, introspection and context. "What I want with my work is to explore the lines and see where they lead me. Most of the time, it's a blind discovery". Tomás has shown his work in some solo exhibitions and his paintings have already travelled the world, with collectors from the USA to India.