The exhibition by ceramist Bela Silva opens this Wednesday, April 9th, at the windows of Loja das Meias, in the centre of Cascais. "As Janelas da Bela", curated by Carlos Pissarra, will be on display until April 23rd. Born in Lisbon and living between the Portuguese capital, Brussels (Belgium), and Paris (France), the artist has a solid international career and rarely exhibits in Portugal.
"It was an unexpected invitation, Carlos had wanted to do something with me for a long time. He invited me, and I said yes, partly because it’s a store I’ve known since I was a child. It was part of my aunts" era, with all that tradition, and they have good taste, always discovering new creators,' says Bela Silva to Time Out Cascais during the setup of the small exhibition.
The ceramist has a close connection with the world of fashion – her mother worked in the industry and designed clothing, so her interest in fabrics remained as a family inheritance.
"Fashion transforms – we can change and look like different people depending on the clothes we put on. It’s like clay, we’re always creating new things. Clothes have that quality of transforming us," she says, referring to the plasticity of both contexts, "worlds that touch each other."
Bela Silva was already preparing this series of ceramic pieces when she received the invitation from Carlos Pissarra. "From the pieces I was making, I chose the ones that made the most sense for this space, the ones that had a connection to fabrics and textiles. We chose them based on size and colour, they also have a connection to the pattern. Normally, when I work with the shape of a vase, it’s very detailed in relief, but here I wanted to focus more on painting – drawing is also part of my work, for me, it’s the beginning of everything."
Then, Carlos Pissarra and the team at Loja das Meias, a store with over 100 years of history and more than three decades in its current location in Cascais, which was completely remodelled in March 2024, selected the spaces to place each piece.
"I never thought of using these mirrored plinths for my work, but I liked this combination. I think I’ll adopt it because it reflects the shape, the design, and you end up seeing it from a different perspective," she explains. "In these pieces, there’s always the theme of nature, which is a constant... and then the colours, which are the usual ones, turquoise blues, greens... But here, there’s also a connection to Chinese ceramics, with the black background, which is not something I usually use in my work."
As it’s rare for her to exhibit in Portugal, but also due to the strong connection Cascais has with the sea, Bela Silva accepted the challenge of exhibiting in a store. "Being close to the sea is very important to me. One lives between here and there and isn’t quite sure where they are from anymore, but I’ve always maintained this connection with the sea. Going to the beach as a child and getting my hands purple, walking down Rua do Alecrim in Lisbon and seeing the river in the distance – there’s always this constant connection to water."
The pieces, which can be seen until April 23rd, are for sale. "It would be fantastic if they stayed in Portugal because I don’t have many pieces here. They’re spread all over the world."
After "As Janelas da Bela", Carlos Pissarra plans to organise other temporary exhibitions at the Loja das Meias, inviting other artists to use the space in the town centre as a gallery for their work.
Avenida Valbom, 4, Cascais. 9th-23rd April. Mon-Sat 10.30-19.00. 21 482 0375