BLANK x Craveiral Farmhouse OPEN STUDIOS

March 2022

We are happy to share with you some insights of the work our residents developed during their stay at Craveiral Farmhouse in February. After living and working in the Portuguese countryside for four weeks, artists Anna Virnich, Arthur Löwen, Hugo Brazão, Manutcher Milani, Johanna Dumet and Kiko Pérez shared their working processes at our final Open Studio event on the 27th of February 2022 with visitors and guests at Craveiral.

We started our tour with Portuguese artist Hugo Brazão who developed several textile works this solo exhibition at Balcony Gallery which is on display this month. The work featured drawings and colorful shapes inspired by the five happiness hormones produced by the human body. Manutcher Milani installed a sculpture with on site found materials, bent and altered, suspended from trees, the mobile was constantly moving, changing its shape and making sound. Manutcher also worked on three large scale paintings, depicted abstract motifs and symbols in bright colors that suggested figurative shapes.

Anna Virnich worked on several large pieces using a mix of textiles she carefully curated from her studio in Berlin, as well as fabrics she spontaneously sourced in Portugal. The colors and textures were inspired by memories of a previous visit to the region Alentejo. For the first time, Anna incorporated actual painting techniques in her usually textile based work. Arthur Löwen took a playful approach in the way he integrated his paintings right next to the pool enabling the visitors to discover a new work of his in every corner. In his abstract work he embraces, both the architecture of the space, and the textures of the surfaces of his terrace at Craveiral. For the first time, Arthur incorporated the fabric used during his working process.

Johanna Dumet’s series of self portraits depict her personal experiences during the residency. Each painting perfectly captures how the artist immersed herself in sunny Portugal together with the BLANK family. From swimming at the pool, to early evening cocktails and befriending the local kittens, she recorded in her paintings the sense of freedom she felt during her stay. Johannna collected pigments from the landscape that were later used in her paintings and left space for wind and weather to transform the surface of her work.

We finished our tour with Kiko Pérez who spent his days wandering around the surrounding nature, drawing, leading him to working on two large scale works at the horse stables. Using wood panels in layers gave dimension to the shapes carved in the surfaces. Combining both pictorial and sculptural elements of his previous work, the new pieces resemble geometric shapes of the interior of his working space and the wildness of the exterior.

Congratulations to the artists for the amazing work developed during BLANK Residency and huge thanks to the whole Craveiral Farmhouse team for making it possible!

We would like to thank everyone who donated to our fundraising via Instagram, as well as during the Open Studio event, to support UNICEF in their mission to help children and their families in Ukraine.

For all inquiries please contact info@blank100.co.uk To see more of the artists’ work please follow us on Instagram.