Date: 2018
Author: Martim Brion
To set up a group exhibition is always to analyse relationships of concepts, forms, colours, materials, philosophies, life cycles, etc. However, in this case there is another less common factor in play, a family link. Three generations of artists belonging to the same family on a straight line, father/grandfather, daughter/mother and grandson/son. Most people do not aspire to become artists for one reason or another, it is not a common endeavour to aspire to (even though it has had of recent a surge in popularity of recent); among those who do, their offspring rarely carry on the same occupation – much less so the third generation. Therefore, it is truly a singular case in this respect. This allows one to approach this exhibition in a different way, to see these relationships in a familial context; how does this familiarity play in the usual interrelations of the different approaches to art? How much cross-influence is there?
This exhibition has clearly been an opportunity to self-identify, to diagnose influences and explore them. There are visibly some common trends that run along the three generations: the use of and interest in literary references is prevalent; a focus on the contrast of colour and its interactions; the artist as an individual maker without affiliation in an interested exchange with art’s currents.
António Areal’s (AAreal) oeuvre has been finalised for some time now, while Sofia Areal’s (SAreal) and Martim Brion’s (Brion) are still developing. Therefore, there is a clear cross-pollination in the last two cases and a unidirectional influence from AAreal. One can clearly see AAreal’s influence on the next two generations. On SAreal’s work there is a well-defined interest in the French-based artists AAreal liked so much, mainly the surrealists at the beginning of her career. Then, as AAreal evolved to join the international avant-garde of the pop and conceptual arts in his own caustic way, SAreal only retained of this evolution the directness of the approach towards the work and the strong contrasting colours. Brion on the other hand eschews the early phases of AAreal, though the forms and colour contrasts used by AAreal have been a strong influence on his work, not necessarily consciously but more as a constant presence he was surrounded by, which was imparted visually and verbally through other people’s discussions of AAreal and his work.
SAreal and Brion are a more difficult case, as it is still evolving. Cross-influences are clearly observable. In a more formal sense, the use of colour is much valued in both works; defining shapes, one (SAreal) with vibrant personal gestures the other (Brion) with a more distant focus, but with the handmade process still present. Brion’s bourgeoning literary focus was honed at first by SAreal’s influence, only later would AAreal start to take part. In SAreal’s work, one can observe in some recent series a geometrical influence, a presence which was not there before, which suggests a visible sign of Brion’s presence.
One can continue to mention differences and similarities in form, colour, references, influences, and concepts; nonetheless, it is better, in this case, to let the works speak for themselves. Arranged in dialogues of one-to-one or in more complex arrangements, the interest of this exhibition is clearly to explore this (dis)familiarity.
This text has focused mostly on similarities and common influences and not on differences. This is because there are too many to list them all. However, the most important one comes from a similarity already mentioned. The strong focus on honing an individual character as an artist leads to different approaches from all three in the way they conceive, create, and relate to their work. Differences created out of familiarity.
Martim Brion 