MARTA DE MENEZES | What is Art, if not meaning? What is meaning, if not layers? What are we, if not layers of meanings?
2022
Keywords
Proportions | Development | Anatomy | Symmetry | Asymmetry | Dimensions | Diversity | Divergence | Generation | Growth
Synopsis
For most of my academic life, progressively learning about art and its complexities. How to draw, how to paint, how to generate meaning and depth through matter and form, through technique and different technologies. For most of that life and beyond I was encouraged not to ask or try to reply to the question: “What is Art?”
Working within the realm of Art and Science/Biology I was repeatedly asked if the works I was producing with living matter were Art or something else.
I’ve spent the entirety of my artistic career focusing on the challenges presented by the concept of Identity. As an artist, who I am, what I am, where I came from, and all that encompasses Identity is of profound interest to me.
It makes sense to me, therefore, to tackle, despite discouragement, the question “What is Art?”. Art is part of my Identity, and as such a part of my focus as an artist.
It is no wonder, then, that in all honesty, the title of this work became a very descriptive attempt at expressing some of my own ponderings about Art, and what it means within my own practice. The piece you see presents very different layers of materials (watercolor, acrylic, silk, thread, ink, fabric), very different layers of techniques, very different technologies, and even many layers of personal family history, and professional history as well.
So, I keep pondering… What is Art, if not meaning? What is meaning, if not layers? What are we, if not layers of meanings?
Artist Bio
Marta de Menezes (born 1975) is a Portuguese artist, with a Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Lisbon and a MSt from the University of Oxford. De Menezes is director of Cultivamos Cultura, the leading institution devoted to experimental art in Portugal and Ectopia, dedicated to facilitate the collaborative work between artists and scientists. Marta de Menezes has worked in the intersection of art and biology since the late 90s, in the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, and Portugal, exploring the conceptual and aesthetic opportunities offered by biological sciences for visual representation in the arts. Her work has been widely exhibited in major venues in all continents, presented in most anthologies devoted to bioart, discussed in doctoral dissertations, and considered an example of research in the visual arts. Among the most recent international exhibitions, de Menezes was invited for the 2019 Ars Electronica Festival: Out of the Box, and organized two 2020 Ars Electronica Gardens (Lisbon and São Luis). She was invited to be the official representation of Portugal at the London Design Biennale 2016 and exhibited at the Beijing Biennale of New Media Art 2016. DeMenezes was nominated in 2015 by Time and Fortune magazines for the Art and Technology Awards 2015.
