Irene Buarque, born in São Paulo in 1943, escaped the violence of the Brazilian dictatorship after being awarded a grant from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (1973-75). In Portugal, she witnessed the 1974 Carnation Revolution and, as part of the local artistic community, opted to remain in the country. Her unquenchable curiosity about the surrounding world led to a body of work that crossed various themes and disciplines, such as photography, sculpture, painting, installation and ceramics. Uni Verso Plural, at Fundação Carmona e Costa, presents a retrospective of Irene Buarque’s career that includes more than 50 years of artistic endeavour. From her first geometric paintings to her most up-to-date approaches inspired by nature, the exhibition testifies to the artist’s knack for reinventing herself.

The artist’s geometric paintings developed in Brazil appear in the first room, with the series SUB-JE-TO (1971). The works harness the visual possibilities of geometric shapes, generating illusory effects that challenge the figures’ seeming stability. This room is brimming with geometry, with floating figures juxtaposed and decomposed on large canvases, whether square or triangular, and the works already foreshadow other motifs that the artist is interested in. The different transparencies and overlaps of the geometric figures reveal ajar windows that are yet to come. On the other hand, the various paintings on different wooden backgrounds, and the greys which help to build the figures, remind us of the trees and stones that are to be born later.

The window universe comes to life in the following room. Irene uses the window as a pictorial exercise in different ways, analysing its structure, its aesthetic qualities and the formal differences that reflect different cultural, social and economic traits. The large mural A Janela como Pintura (1973-1990) features a photo series displaying the artist’s infatuation with the window. Irene endlessly portrays it, showing its different shapes, colours and styles. Much like a spy, the artist siphons information and intimacies from the windows.

Wise and eternal, stones flood the artist’s work. The exhibition has a whole room dedicated to the “stone” element, as a starting point for countless representational and transformational possibilities. Irene Buarque combines the natural and the artificial, building paper and ceramic stones that mingle with natural stones. The artist’s alchemical skills can clearly be seen in the installation Pedras Falsas 1993-2024), where we find 18 ceramic elements mimicking their natural element. Trees also appear in this room through a video screening featuring different trees photographed throughout her life. The tree and the stone are both symbols of endurance and reveal the deep connection between the artist’s work and the natural world.

The last room goes back to the beginning of Irene Buarque’s artistic career, with the series Uniforme Multicôr (1971), where Op Art’s influence is evident. These serigraphs on circular surfaces explore the potential of perception, generating illusions of movement and depth. The poster for the artist’s first solo exhibition, held at the Ars Mobile Gallery in São Paulo (April 1971), is also on display here.

Uni Verso Plural reveals a unique visual universe in each room, where the artist’s curiosity is expressed through the variety of media and disciplines she uses. With a career inextricably tied to the quest for freedom, Irene Buarque’s work persists across time and space. Her geometric constructions are invisible, yet everything exists simultaneously: windows, stones and trees.

The exhibition is at Fundação Carmona e Costa until September 14, 2024.