"A Viagem do Elefante / The Elephant's Journey" - "Café des Arts" Cotonou / "Espace Kora" Cotonou / "Boteco da Linha" S. Pedro Estoril 2012 - Permanent Instalation on Real Space / Montagem Permanente em Espaço Real.

The Elephant’s Journey

We always arrive at the place where we are expected

Permanent Installations on Real Space

Biennale Benin 2012

Saramago is dining at the restaurant “Elefant” when he becomes interested in the story of an Indian elephant, a present given to the Austria archduke by D. João III, king of Portugal, in the sixteenth century. Saramago follows the elephant’s journey from Lisbon to Vienna. I follow Saramago’s trail.

For the Biennale Benin 2012, I produced two permanent installations on real space (restaurant / cafe) named after José Saramago’s book.

1. Café des Arts, Fidjrossé, Cotonou 2012 / (...)

Here, I worked at the Fidgrossé’s café, located below the apartment where I was living. I mingled some of the existing objects with a few painted tables, chairs, lamps, and other more disparate objects.

2. Boteco da Linha, S. Pedro do Estoril, 2012 / (...)

Here, I create several objects – mainly paintings – at a restaurant that was undergoing reconstruction for public opening. The public walks, sits down, drinks, and eats over my paintings.

These two pieces were sampled at the exhibition’s space provided by Biennale Benin 2012 (Space Kora). Here, I installed some painted objects that were being used at my apartment, and a few that I took from the Fidjrossé’s Café des Arts. These objects act as a flavour of what can be found at the real spaces. They will be returned to their original places when the Biennale closes.

(...) I think with time paintings are going to disappear (...)

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