Curator: Galeria Oitavo

Site-specific installation with hand-painted copper tiles and “calçada” stones.
405 x 420 cm

Very Typical

Text by Tiago Casanova

The installation Very Typical - Perfect for Breaking creates a parallel between the current massification of tourism in Portugal and the conservation of the country’s built heritage, based on some of the characteristic elements of the Portuguese historic centers, such as azulejo and the Portuguese pavement [calçada portuguesa].

While the use of Portuguese pavement is a topic of passionate debate between the opposing sides of tradition and utility, it is also a metaphor for political struggle, as it has been occasionally used as a throwing weapon in political demonstrations in front of the National Parliament. Conversely, the azulejo perfectly synthesizes the relationship between heritage and tourism, as it is one of the best-selling souvenir artifacts, and the theft of historical panels and their sale in flea markets is a serious problem for the conservation of the country’s architectural heritage.

It is an installation that, for obvious reasons, lives of its destruction, and where the public is invited to participate.