CHRISTINE CAMÕES ART
Biography
Christine Camões explores the human condition through painting, while also working with drawing and photography, reflecting on the relationship between the human figure, nature, memory, finitude and the passage of time. Her work moves between intimate contemplation and collective memory, where landscapes, architecture and suspended figures become metaphors for human vulnerability, resilience and the possibility of transcendence.
Her artistic practice explores the connections between human experience and transformation, engaging with processes of sublimation and catharsis, and with the possibility of experiencing the sublime. Through symbolic imagery, she examines the relationship between the individual and the world, where natural landscapes, urban environments and places marked by history become spaces of reflection on existence and human experience.
Her painting practice explores material processes through the use of gold leaf, sgraffito and the layering of colour and texture on the canvas. Digital photography and collage are used as compositional studies and visual investigations, informing her painting process while also developing into an autonomous body of work. The materiality of her practice plays an essential role, where brushwork, texture and light contribute to the exploration of presence, traces and temporality.
Her process combines intention and spontaneity, resulting in a physicality that emerges through rhythmic layers of colour, light and line. The dialogue between the conceptual and the material allows each work to evolve as an experience of contemplation and discovery. She is also beginning to explore experimental video as an extension of her practice, documenting the unfolding of the painting process and examining how video can extend the experience of painting by revealing its material and temporal dimensions.
Christine Camões's background in theatre and her experience of living in Berlin, Pisa, Dublin and Barcelona have shaped her artistic practice, enriching her understanding of place, memory and cultural narratives.
Born in Portugal, Christine Camões holds a degree in Fine Arts and is currently completing studies in Languages, Literatures and Cultures. She is based in Portugal.
CHRISTINE CAMÕES ART
Artistic Gallery
The representation of nature does not define the art that I produce, although I depict natural landscapes. Yet it is in nature that I nourish the soul, thus indirectly impacting the direction of my art-making.
It is by allowing more presence in the silence and listening to the natural sounds that the whispers of the soul can be more deeply heard.
From there, I regain a state of artistic intentionality, where a selection of memories and experiences, moments of bliss, memories of other people and places, collective trauma, or even personal traumatic events are integrated within the artistic process.
It is in the presence of vulnerability in art that I believe deeper meaning is given to it. It is where the unspeakable feels heard, where trauma can also be transfigured into what otherwise could become numb or frozen. An example of this is the painting Flying over New York, which explores forms of catharsis in relation to the collective traumatic events of 9/11.
From the deepest aspects of collective trauma can emerge the deepest beauty and transformation, and subsequently, the release of pain.
My art enlarges through the understanding of human difficulties and through the creation of an art that liberates and becomes larger than pain or trauma, because it is the foundation for compassion and helping other people. It is on this edge that my work lies.
The urge to create comes from this dynamic of grasping what is under the surface and transmuting it.
It is about embodying in art the gift of mobility in life.
Christine Camões
THEATHER SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS
Sep 1995, Actrice in the street play "Shapes and Signs" -James Clarence Megan, by Boomerang, Cork, Ireland.
Sep 1995 Actrice in the play "The Phantom of the Fountain Palace"
Presented in " Eurovive Youth Festival", Cork, Ireland.
Sep 1995 Workshop of " Voice, Drama, Movement and Improvisation"
Boomerang, European Youth Festival, Cork/Kerry, Ireland.
Sep 1996–Oct 1996 Formation Atelier "Theater" from The Living Theatre American group.
With actrice Judith Malina and Tom Walker, Coimbra, Portugal.
Exhibitions
Mar 2002, "From the Shoes and Hats", Museum of Hats, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal.
May 2002, "Children's book, Time", Bissaya-Barreto Foundation, Coimbra, Portugal.
Dec 2002 to Feb 2003, Performing Arts Centre , Figueira da foz, Portugal.
Oct 2004, Chamber of Lawyers," Performing Arts exhibition" Coimbra, Portugal.
19 Jan to 14 Feb 2008, Santa Clara Gallery, Coimbra, Portugal.
Sep 2023, Santa Clara Gallery, Coimbra, Portugal.
How can I, How can We?
Came as a self-reflection on how can we reconnect and empower that part of ourselves that wishes to do more for the good of our communities.
I am therefore pleased to announce that I am developing How Can I, How Can We? - Art for the Community project!
It is a charitable action that aims to support solidarity institutions, more specifically in the comprehensive area of care for the elderly.
The idea revolves around creating art with social significance, which can bring more joy to the elderly's space or revert to monetary donations, contributing therefore to a more conscious and valued community. A project that begins now, but is intended to be continued for a prolonged time.
RECONNECTION
Since the early stage of our lives, we’re tremendously influenced by our environment, culture, and family.
But I also believe there is a side of us that is kept unconditioned, some can call it the soul, our true essence, others pureness, and others light. Either way, the arts, music, and dance reflect some of the characteristics of this Intangible original state, where images, songs, and movement evoke what I may call a deep connection through the senses.
Christine Camões
CONTACT
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