First day, first night … Fantastic!

“Amazing”, “Impressive”, “Terrific” … the superlatives kept on coming all through Saturday when Arte Algarve pulled off its first “double whammy” for the summer.

Our OPEN VIII exhibition brought up to 1000 people flocking in intense June heat to Lagoa – scores turning up even before we had opened!

And then, early in the evening when we moved on for the first night of the Ferragudo Art Festival, people were dancing in the streets before it even got dark!

“It’s just so wonderful to see the kind of people that come together in the name of art and culture”,  said gallery owner Rolf Osang, whose vision for promoting art in the Algarve has been pivotal in the creation of all these events.

“It always turns into one great big lovely party”…

But it wasn’t only about partying. It was about promotion, getting known, and ultimately selling.

“This was such an incredible experience”, artist Nathalie Abbing from Holland told us. “I have never exhibited outside of Holland and I was very curious to see what people would think of my work. I was amazed not only by the interest, but by the level of knowledge of art here. People really appreciate what they are looking at, and the range of work on show here is exceptional!”

The OPEN VIII, as all the other Opens before it, presents established artists while at the same time boosting new talents. In all, over 40 artists and creators are involved, and regular visitors couldn’t keep their thoughts to themselves.

“This is the best show ever!”, “You’ve done it again!” “How do you do it?!”

The answer to that last one is easy: artists know where we are now. They are “just coming” – regularly turning up at the door, keen to get involved in a project that is bringing life and colour to the region beyond the habitual sun, sand and sea.

If you weren’t one of the hundreds of people who came on Saturday – or if you were one of those who turned up as we were closing our doors on the way to opening in Ferragudo – please come and see us this week, in the gallery, from 10am to 1pm or 3pm to 6pm. There is so much to enjoy and marvel at: extraordinary abstracts, powerful nudes, impressive sculptures, lyrical ceramics, magical photographs, haunting portraits. We know no one will be disappointed!

And remember, next Saturday from 6pm to midnight, we’ll have another fun, colourful, arts and crafts evening under the stars and beside the river full of fishes and fishing boats in the heart of picturesque Ferragudo. Music starts early, bring family and friends, and enjoy the very best of the Algarve in a relaxed open-air friendly atmosphere!

Written by Natasha Donn

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And on to FERRAGUDO…

The opening evening of Ferragudo Art Festival was a resounding success. Crowds of people who had enjoyed Arte Algarve’s OPEN VIII moved on to Ferragudo to check it all out. Many of them were dancing in the streets to the sounds of Beto Kalulu and his band long before darkness fell.

But there were still quite a few places left unused by artists and craftspeople. Why? Many have the sad story of ,,Barao de Sao Joao” on their minds (where police raided the market, as it did not have the necessary licensing). This cannot happen in Ferragudo as the art festival is part of the Freguesia’s official summer activities, and thus is completely legal. Every participant is issued with a pass that sees their stall not only licensed, but protected.

Fortunately,all artists and craftspeople who took part on the first festival night were extremely happy. They sold well, it was great fun, and they all met lots of people and made exciting new contacts.

People could see things ARE being done to promote art and culture within the region – especially during the summer season.

To try and encourage more people to get involved and promote their work, Arte Algarve is offering a “test evening” to newcomers.  For just 20 euros artists and craftspeople are invited to come along and have a stall for the night, and see how well it can work. If they are convinced, they can get involved for the rest of the summer.

Find out more by calling Pablo on 925004060.

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Team Martina and Sara Kaiser

Wild at Art

Treasures abound in the majestic market town of Loulé, and one of these is Wild at Art, in the historic centre.

Brainchild of mother and daughter team Martina and Sara Kaiser, it is a multi-coloured oasis designed to showcase the very best of upmarket local talent.

“There is a fine line between ‘handmade’ and ‘created by hand’”, Martina explains. “What we aim for here is quality and originality”.

Thus you’ll find handmade lamps, wall hangings, upcycled jewellery (that’s jewellery made from recycled materials), natty hats and shopping baskets, rag-dolls and animals, three-dimensional pictures and hangings – even upcycled furniture.

“There are so many incredibly clever people here, making beautiful, unique things”, says Martina, who trained as an interior architect in her native Germany. “When we first opened, I wasn’t aware of them all, but as time has gone by we have made more and more contacts, and the shop has developed”.

A nice touch is that Martina’s workshop is in full view as people come in from the street. Hence the dual purpose title: ‘atelier and shop’

Design student Sara’s contribution comes in the way of artistic postcards and handmade items of furniture, including a rabbit standard-lamp and joker’s hat chandelier.

The shop’s mascot at the door is a wonderful cockerel bedecked in colourful Nespresso capsules.

And for those for whom Loulé may be a little too far off the beaten track, Martina will be taking the essence of “Wild at Art” to our Ferragudo Art Festival on Saturday evenings throughout the summer. Look out for her from July when she will be joining all the other artists and craftspeople who are already selling their wares in the open market down by the harbour.

http://www.wildatartatelier.com

Written by Natasha Donn

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You could be:

The Algarve’s “Best Young Artist”

Today’s entry developed from remarks that came as we travelled up and down the region interviewing artists.

Remarks like: “Young people today cannot afford to be artists”… “There is nothing to encourage young artists today”… “Sadly, I live by this job” (this came from a young Portuguese artist who works six-days-a-week as a kitchen assistant, but dreams of living from her art).

All these comments made us think, and look at the gallery with different eyes.

It is true, we see very few works from young people in galleries – yet they are out there, some of them doing amazing work!

There is 22-year-old Julia Kuchaeva, for instance, who will be exhibiting at our upcoming OPEN VIII next Saturday 15th, and is being featured this month in a regional glossy as a “newcomer to watch” …

And there are the students of Júlio Dantas 12th year Visual Arts Course in Lagos who have put together a wonderful exhibition using recycled materials now showing at Lagos Cultural Centre.

Thus we have come up with a plan and are delighted to announce our first “Best Young Artist” competition – aimed at all creators under the age of 25, resident in the Algarve.

Participants should submit up to five photos of recent work/ s, with a description of the technique/ s used and a few words on the intention behind the compositions.

Entries will be published on our website as they come in, with readers being encouraged to cast their votes (which will count for 50% of the final total).

A panel of three established Arte Algarve artists will also sit as jury, and the winning entries will all be invited to exhibit at our Autumn exhibition, opening in September.

The competition will be formally presented at our OPEN VIII on 15th June, and then run throughout the summer until 15th August.

Arte Algarve hopes this way to give a boost to a sector that is habitually under-developed and under-encouraged.

We challenge young artists to reach for their dreams… With the right mix of talent, luck and exposure, some may actually attain them!

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Maria do Mar

Where the food is just too beautiful to eat!

Imagine a shop selling food packaged in such a way that many balk at the thought of opening it! It sounds crazy, but Maria do Mar is such a shop.

The brainchild of forward-thinking businesswoman Ana Franco, “many customers say they will never open what they have bought”.

“They say they are going to use it for decoration, or for a painting! It always makes me laugh”, says the lady originally from the Alentejo.

So what kind of food are we talking about? In a word, tins. Tins of fish, to be more precise: filleted, in sauces, in paté form – everything in fact to do with the sea, as well as stunning tins of traditional olive oil.

Besides their aesthetic appeal, Maria do Mar’s tins are very “gourmet”, without being overly expensive.

“You won’t find anything like them in regular supermarkets”, Anna explains. “These tins are from Portuguese canners that prepare their fish in the best possible way.

“In cheaper brands, the fish is already packed in the tin before it is cooked. Thus, the end taste is affected. But the tins we stock are packed AFTER the fish has been cooked. They have the best flavours you could find.”

That’s of course if you are one of the customers who actually OPEN them!

Maria do Mar has been successfully re-launching the popularity of tins in both Lagos and Portimão since 2012.

“It was not a good time to open”, agrees Anna. “But if we waited for a good time, we could wait forever…”

Certainly, response has been very positive, with clients returning on a regular basis and holidaymakers delighting in the many attractive gift packs available.

In Portimão, Maria do Mar has its own “tasca” (in Rua Direita) where for a small charge customers can sample products, or indeed enjoy them with a glass of regional wine or local brandy.

In Lagos, Anna Franco is still on the look-out for the right premises where she can run a tasca. For now, she simply has her colourful shop in Rua Conselheiro Joaquim Machado, open Monday to Saturday from 10am till early evening. She is never idle. When not talking in multiple languages to clients, she is busy sewing fabric sardines (as wall hangings) or cutting out little fishes to attach to gift boxes.

“So many traditions have been lost over the years”, she explains. “Portugal’s tinned fish has always been very special. We should do everything we can to preserve this heritage. If we don’t, it could be the next thing to disappear, and that would be a tragedy”.

Discover Anna Franco’s beautiful concept. Even if you never taste the contents of your purchases, they will certainly make you smile.

Written by: Natasha Donn

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Musical artist of the day

Linda Scanlon

She sings like an angel, and from her home in the Monchique mountains she has just brought out a lyrical EP which is already getting very positive feedback.

Meet Linda Scanlon, the girl from County Wicklow, Ireland, who is hailed as the most “in demand” Irish singer on the Algarve and whose dream it is to revive traditional Celtic songs and save them from obscurity.

Her first official solo EP “A Place to Be” (with just five tracks) was released at the weekend. Via pre-publicity, it instantly caught the eye of respected Folk music critic Dan Holland who posted that he was “entranced by the subtle blend of style and influences” that holds “a magic all of its own”.

“I have a distinct impression from the breadth of experience, depth feeling and spread of styles on offer with these songs that it cannot be too long before Linda follows this EP with a full-blown album … I wait with anticipation.”

It was just the kind of encouragement Linda was hoping for. About to celebrate her 40th birthday, and a singing career that goes nearly as far, she laughs: “Maybe life really does begin at 40!”

The plan now is to promote “A Place to Be” as much as possible. The EP is available for download through iTunes, and will be available from Amazon and other online music sites in a few weeks. Physical copies will soon be on sale at Fnac. (We’re also hoping to be able to offer some from the gallery and at our stand at the upcoming Ferragudo Arts Festival.)

For those of you who haven’t yet heard Linda in concert (her last show played to a packed audience at Lagoa Auditorium in November) she sings a kind of  “Celtic Country, with an edge”.

Dan Holland has even suggested a new genre: “Country-folk Americana”.

Whichever way you want to describe it, the sound has been attracting listeners from all over the world – quite literally. Before arriving in the Algarve five years ago, Linda had been wowing audiences in France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. There was even a stint in New York and Minneapolis.

“Now, thanks to the power of the Internet, I’ve got fans clicking on our website from the Philippines, Malaysia, Egypt, North Africa… it has been incredible!” Linda explains. “I am sure 20 years ago this kind of exposure would have been so much harder to attain – but with the Internet everything has moved really fast”.

The Internet is not responsible for her voice however, which is quite wonderful.

Helped throughout by her audio engineer husband Joe, Linda is now waiting to see what happens when the EP goes into the English and Irish charts. “It’s all ahead of me now”, she pulls a face. “I’m very proud”…

Choosing the songs was actually “the hardest part” of putting the whole project together. She changed her mind “at least three times” before she was happy and ended up including one song by folk legend Maura O’Connell that  “used to bring her out in goosebumps” when she sang it as a girl.

What needs to happen now is for “A Place to Be” to bring its listeners out in goosebumps… And then the next challenge will be that full-blown album, with original songs!

For more on Linda Scanlon, and the progress of “A Place to Be”, click on: http://www.lindascanlon.com. The site will be offering “sneak previews” of some of the songs, so “keep checking back for regular updates”!

Written by: Natasha Donn

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