Uncategorized, // August 19, 2024
Ana Teresa Tavares Mendes — ARTIST
Ana Teresa Tavares Mendes
Interview with artist Ana Teresa Tavares Mendes —
1. Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Ana Mendes, 46 years old, Portuguese and resident in the Algarve. I am a self-taught contemporary artist, with a degree in Nursing and between 2016 and 2024 I worked at the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve. I am married and mother of two girls, aged 20 and 22, fashion Branding and Medicine students.
Art appeared in my life in 2019 as a hobby and therapy to fulfill the absence of my student daughters outside the country, never thinking that I would no longer be able to stop creating. The exhibition of my work was initially through social media and consequently evolved into physical and virtual, collective and individual exhibitions (two in 2024), at national and international level, namely Dubai, Amsterdam and Spain. In 2023 I opened my own studio and in 2024 I dedicated myself 100% to art.
2.Why art?
Art is a universal language, a way of transmitting feelings and messages without judgement. It’s a state of peace and freedom where everything flows perfectly and at the right time, and this is the feeling I identify with.
3. What is your first memory of wanting to be an artist?
Since I was a child, I liked painting and drawing, I was always very creative, but I was never encouraged to do so. Only as an adult did I start to develop my creativity and what was initially a hobby is now my life.
4. What are your favorite subjects and “media”?
The subjects that attract me most are the sustainability of the planet, sustainable art works, ecoartists and different art.
I’m a fan of the works of artist Joana Vasconcelos, Bordalo II and Vanessa Barracão.
5. How do you work and approach your subject?
My inspiration comes from contact with nature, the sea and the Algarve mountains and also from the beauty of the Feminine Being. Colors also have a lot of influence on my works, blue, green, white and gold, convey feelings of peace, harmony and wealth.
The combination of recycled materials brings a larger dimension to the work, bringing a life of its own and the application of mixed technique and epoxy resin on canvas or wood results in a work with relief, texture and mirrored.
6. What are your works of art?
My artworks are wall sculptures created from recycled material or relief paintings. I defend a concept of sustainability and strive for difference, which is why in all my works I use acrylic, mixed technique and epoxy resin with the application of recycled or reused materials. Aluminum coffee capsules are present in most of my works, coffee grounds are also used and other materials such as glass, fabrics, cardboard, etc.
7. What are the best reactions you’ve had to your work?
The best reactions are always when people notice the recycled material used in the works. The physical exhibition of my works is very important because the perception of the relief and the materials used takes the work to another level. So there is a tendency to want to play, it’s wonderful to see people’s impressed reactions. I recreated on canvas the image of the “Sovereign Mother”, the patron saint of my city, Loulé. I recreated it with 800 coffee capsules, it was without a doubt the work that gave me the most pleasure in making, it was very sentimental and with a lot of faith. The result was fantastic and the feedback from the public was very gratifying. I donated the work to the Church and it can be permanently viewed at the Loulé Matriz Church Museum.
8. What do you like about your work?
I love creating, innovating and making a difference. I like to transmit messages through art, the main message being the importance of sustainability.
9. What advice would you give to other artists?
We are all artists, but what defines us is our identity and even if it is not well accepted we must be true to ourselves. It’s not easy but it’s a path we have to travel alone. We will never please everyone, but when we manage to smile, it’s because we touched someone’s heart and that’s why it was worth it.
10. How do you see the future in 5 to 10 years
I hope that artists are more valued as a profession and I want to evolve daily so that in 5 or 10 years I can have projects on a larger scale and be enshrined in a list of top artists, where sustainability is predominant. I wish to have contributed to raising people’s awareness of a better world without waste.
Ana Teresa Tavares Mendes
LINKS –
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ana.arte.decor?igsh=Y25zM24ydGY0Ynp6+
Olivia Rodrigues daCosta
Olívia da Costa is our arts correspondent for Arts Illustrated in Portugal.
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