Cape Verdean artist Amadeo Carvalho is exhibiting his individual show for the first time in Paris, France, at the international AKAA exhibition. This exhibition focuses on themes of identity, memory, and diaspora experience, bringing together works from his series 'Portraits of Absence.'
The exhibition, titled 'Fragments of Identity — Lusophone Circulations, Sensitive Geographies,' was presented by the artist known as a 'face worker.' He considers this opportunity extremely important for the focused presentation of his work and the search for a new audience, explaining that his pieces are portraits that explore memory, identity, and presence.
The exhibition is curated by Cape Verdean Emily Silva, who founded the curatorial platform Casa Vicência in Paris. The exhibition is distinguished by its use of organic materials and textures on canvas. The artist noted that he uses pigments from the volcano of Fogo island because his ancestors, who hold family memories he does not know, originate from there.
In addition to Fogo island, Carvalho incorporated volcanic materials collected by him from the islands of Santiago and São Vicente into his canvases, thereby linking the archipelago's geology with the creative process, according to a report sent to Lusa. Living in London, UK, Amadeo Carvalho believes that one must be outside an island to see it, emphasizing that art has helped him 'heal many wounds and traumas.'
He added that these pigments help establish a connection between territory, body, and what remains between people, and his work touches upon the experience of emigration. According to him, emigration not only causes longing for loved ones but also heals.
For Amadeo Carvalho, the accumulated experience of staying in art residencies in Africa, America, and Europe nourishes his practice and creative dynamic. He stated that Cape Verdeans are a people born in movement, and as an artist, he too must constantly be in motion.
Despite the inspiration from his Cape Verdean roots, Amadeo Carvalho refuses to accept limiting labels in the international art market. He insists on being called simply an artist, not just an African one, as such labels can confine him within frameworks he dislikes, since art is much broader than that.
The artist also emphasized that his works are created to establish an intimate connection with the public through visual details. He concluded that while the painting is visible from afar, approaching closer allows one to examine the textures and layers that reflect daily struggles, and sometimes one must remove layers to understand another person's layer.
Amadeo Carvalho, originally from São Vicente, was recognized in the 2024 Bantumen Powerlist100. His background includes visits to FNB Art Joburg (South Africa) and an art residency at Pacific Northwest College of Art, in the United States.