Canada honours exceptional Portuguese artist

This year's edition of Art Vancouver, a Canadian art fair, will be held from 11-14 April 2024. João Artur da Silva, who is 95 years old and has lived in British Columbia since 1991, has chosen not to exhibit his works for the previous three decades. This unique initiative, produced by the renowned Portuguese gallery - Perve Galeria - which specialises in presenting modern and contemporary art intends to share the work that da Silva has been creating over the years with the whole world.

The director and curator of Perve Galeria, a gallery with 24 years of history and a considerable level of international recognition, is Carlos Cabral Nunes. As stated by the curator, "We are putting our history and past in that fair and we hope the art fair gives the project the emphasis and relevance it deserves." Carlos Cabral Nunes claims that the fair's organizers were able to discuss all aspects of the event, including how João da Silva's artwork should be portrayed, as they shared a common vision, with the ultimate goal being giving relevance to the artist’s work.

The image of a sculpture of João Artur da Silva serves as the visual representation of this year’s exhibition and related promotion. “We started representing him at the end of last year – and this year we have made a first exposition in the context of the gallery and the Casa de Liberdade Mário Cesariny, which was a relatively small exposition, in part because most of the artwork went lost on its way from Canada to Portugal” Carlos revealed, adding that he believes that “before showcasing a Portuguese artist’s work anywhere else, we should give the possibility for the people in Portugal to experience it in first-hand”.

“Under-recognised”

“This [Art Vancouver] is the first international project that we are going to develop with his art – and it makes sense that it takes place close by to where he lives”. For 30 years, da Silva did not publish any piece of art, which led to his work being under-recognized. “When he was reaching the peak of his career, he got married for the fourth time and moved to Canada, where he left the publishing and marketing side of his artistic days, and decided to live a quiet life, away from the spotlight”, Carlos Cabral Nunes explained.

This international initiative in honour of the artist developed by Perve Galeria is attempting to make up for these years of absence and make sure that da Silva’s career and body of work are given the credit they deserve while he is still alive. “For me, this is very important, as I believe, when possible, all homage should be made whilst the person is still alive.” As the director continues “I am extremely happy that his work is being recognized in Canada, which is the place where he currently lives, but I would also love that Portugal, and even England would do the same – for him to feel like all these years dedicated to creating were worth it”.

According to Carlos Nunes, the Perve Galeria has undertaken a long work which contributed to where they are now, with João Artur da Silva starting to be represented exclusively by Perve Galeria at the end of 2023. As Perve Galeria’s curator states “This is just the beginning of the process”. Besides Art Vancouver, João Artur da Silva’s work will also be displayed at the Seattle Art Fair in July. Additionally, a few other projects involving his sculptures in three dimensions (3D) are now under progress. “The 3D printing points out to the future, a contemporary language, which is definitely what his art represents.” Carlos Cabral Nunes disclosed that the artist's first three-dimensional impressed sculptures will be on display at Art Vancouver.

Through his participation in the 1949 ‘Pathé Baby’ and the 1950 ‘Galeria-Livraria Bibliófila’ exhibitions, he was first exposed to the famous Portuguese anti-group "The Surrealists", by Mário-Henrique Leiria, a group where some of its members were outspoken opponents of the Portuguese dictatorship. João Artur da Silva ended up becoming the last founder of the "The Surrealists", and is also the last active founder still alive. In 1958, he moved to England where he continued working on his projects and experienced different arts and techniques As Carlos Nunes shared “In the 60s and 70s he had an amazing career in England, where among other things he created ‘Da Silva’, paintings on silk scarves which were sold to luxury stores”.

Close to reaching a century of life, João Artur da Silva is still pursuing his artistic career despite health concerns. When it comes to these kinds of events, Perve Galeria's primary goal is to discuss the career and artwork of the artist, in this case, the exceptional João Artur da Silva, and do its utmost to honour him. Talking about Art Vancouver, Carlos Cabral Nunes has stated that the art fair is “a massive investment, but it is definitely worth it”. As he finishes saying “If things go well, then I will be extremely content, and I'm sure it will be a successful experience; I’ve done everything that is within reach, and I’m proud of that.”

After studying Journalism for five years in the UK and Malta, Sara Durães moved back to Portugal to pursue her passion for writing and connecting with people. A ‘wanderluster’, Sara loves the beach, long walks, and sports. 

Sara J. Durães