DP ART EXHIBITION - Carolina de Almeida Santelmann

Carolina de Almeida Santelmann

Under Construction

Acrylic paint, oil paint, spray paint and structure paste on canvas / size: 50 x 150 cm

This piece exhibits Industrialism in the 21st Century. The use of dazzling colors, which come across as energetic and alerting, is inspired by the urban construction sites and demonstrates the dynamic city life. This painting represents the constant changes that the urban spaces undergo, the constant desire for improvement and the resultant idea that a city is a constant work in progress.

Tram Hurtle

Acrylic paint on canvas / 100 x 120cm

”Tram Hurtle” transmits the feeling of being in a packed tram with little space to move. It addresses the repulsive feeling of being close to strangers, who are invading one's personal space. This feeling is communicated through fragmentation, clashing colors and the incorporation of geometric shapes, creating a crowded image with no sense of depth.

A View From Above

Acrylic paint on canvas / 70 x 100 cm

The piece represents the structure of an urban space seen from above. It demonstrates the complexity of urban structures, as well as the extent to which the city is connected. It was inspired by my hometown, a mid-sized city, where people are very connected, in a sense that, “everyone knows your name”. Despite some dark tones used representing negative realities of urban spaces, most colors are vivid and full of life, exhibiting my positive memories of my own city life experiences.

Female Vulnerability at Night

Oil paint, acrylic paint and spray paint on canvas / 80 x 100 cm

The painting expresses the female vulnerability, while moving through the dark city at night. The lines represent scratches, which symbolize the harm that has been inflicted to female victims of abuse. The see-through section on the neck of the female transmits the feeling of defenselessness and discomfort. The anonymity, which is typical of big cities, results in lower security measures for females at night. This piece should raise awareness about these dangers.

Urban Mash

Acrylic paint and pencil on canvas / 50 x 60 cm

“Urban mash” was created to reflect the structures of the city and the constant movement of its people. It conveys the busyness of everyday life, through the use of unfocused and

faded structures and figures, contrasting with the motionless elements, which are represented by striking and firm lines and shapes. The painting addresses the diversity of

the city, with its mobile and immobile elements.

Intertwined

Acrylic paint on canvas / 80 x 120 cm

The intention of this piece was to create a painting, which uses the structures of the city to construct the faces of the people, showing the strong connection and dependence

between the city and its citizens. The difficulty to differentiate what lines make up what subject should demonstrate that both the city and the people do not function without each

other and are therefore intertwined.

Layers of The City

Digital Image (created using sketchbook) printed onto acrylic glass / size Variable (printed 80 x 120 cm)

This piece shows the complexity of the city by exploring its different layers. It shows an urban view of several crowds of people rushing by. There is one focus for stillness: the man with the hat in the middle. As life rushes past him, he simply observes. The superimposing creates a defocused effect, showing the busyness and rush of the city. It addresses the problem of overpopulation, by transmitting a claustrophobic and chaotic feeling.

Loss of Structure

Acrylic paint on paper / each piece 21 x 29.7 cm

This piece explores the gradual loss of structure of urban spaces, from left to right. It expresses the visual overwhelmingness, as well as spatial overload in crowded cities. It also shows how the structure of the metropoles with its satellite cities and suburbs tend to merge together, making it impossible to identify their boundaries and defining characteristics.

Burst of energy

Acrylic paint on paper / 42 x 29.7 cm

This piece explores an explosive and vibrant approach to the study of urban spaces. It investigates the relationship between structure and abstraction in an urban space: a tram environment. The black lines of the tram in the background clash with the rushing figures fading into each other. The rushing figures represent the dynamic energy of the city, with

no room for stillness.

Anatomy of The City

Charcoal and pastels on paper / 77.5 x 29.7 cm

This piece represents the architectural structure of Praça do Comércio, in Lisbon, my family's hometown. The colors represent the true colors of the buildings and express the overwhelming impression of this architectural site. The massive structure of the site is reinforced through horizontal and vertical striking dark black lines, slashed by some dynamic diagonal lines. The use of fragmentation demonstrates that, due to its size you can only look at fragments of the buildings at a time.

Curatorial Rationale:

The theme of my exhibition is “Urban Spaces”. My intention was to explore this topic from different perspectives and to include pieces which exhibit both its positive and negative

aspects. I approached the theme of Urban Spaces by studying different architectural sites, the human factor, the structure of the city, its mobility, anonymity and rhythm. Additionally, I wanted to explore the coexistence of structure and organization in Urban Spaces, in contrast with chaos and amorphy. The diversity of the pieces presented should

mirror the variety of the theme.

Living in a fairly big city in Germany, in a multicultural family, I am constantly confronted with different aspects of urban life. The dynamic energy of the city, as well as the relationship between the human factor and the urban infrastructure, in its complexity has always intrigued me. Moreover, I have traveled to many different countries, and visited

several metropolises, which fascinated me and influenced my perception of Urban Spaces. Through my travels, I became aware of both the positive and negative aspects of city life, some of them directly related with the dimensions of the city.

A key concept in my exhibition is the mobility in the cities, specifically trams as a medium of transportation. For as long as I can remember, I have strongly disliked taking the trams to move around the city. I always found trams to be very unhygienic. With the current pandemic, this feeling has become even stronger and therefore I currently avoid the trams completely. Therefore, it was important for me to address this concept, hence the pieces “Burst of energy”, “Urban Mash” and “Tram Hurtle” were intentionally included in the exhibition, as they address the theme of mobility.

The arrangement of the pieces in my exhibition reflects the complexity and diversity of the theme of Urban Spaces. As the individual pieces are visually very distinctive, with different color schemes, there is no sense of pattern or red thread throughout my exhibition. Due to the uniqueness of the individual pieces, the final works function better and are more powerful by themselves, than when displayed together. There is visual unity in the exhibition, as each piece has a powerful message of its own. The decision to include several large pieces, which are highly complex and detailed, aims to provoke an overwhelming effect on the audience. Overwhelming like the cities themselves. This is further emphasized by the minimization of white spaces between the pieces, which should also transmit a crowded and uneasy feeling. The placement of the pieces at eye level is intentional and is meant to present them in a confrontational and bold manner, making it almost impossible for the viewer to overlook them.

The multifaceted theme of Urban Spaces is also reflected in the different use of materials and techniques. I used a variety of materials such as: acrylic paint, oil paint, spray paint, pencils, charcoal, texture paste, pastels and technology to edit and create digital pieces. Being able to work with different materials was challenging and interesting at the same time. It forced me to get out of my comfort zone and use oil paint, spray paint and texture paste for the first time. The texture paste allowed me to create a variety of textures, modeling both smooth and rough surfaces. Throughout the creative process I particularly enjoyed experimenting and combining different materials and techniques in one piece. In

some of the pieces, such as “Female Vulnerability at Night”, the creative process was extremely long and embodied lots of major changes. It started as a defined and realistic attempt of painting a female figure using only oil paint and developed into a piece with many abstract elements and diffused silhouette, incorporating spray and acrylic paint.

Morten Andersen, a Danish artist, substantially influenced my art creation process. I was fascinated by his use of spray paint in creating large abstract pieces, which use the technique of fragmentation. Andersen’s works are usually very colorful. Inspired by his work, I attempted to use different color schemes, which catch the audience's attention.

Similarly, to my exhibition theme, Andersen also thematizes the concept of cities.

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