Alberto Carneiro & Charlotte Moth
Vicenciar

3+1 Arte Contemporânea is pleased to present Vivenciar , with works by Alberto Carneiro (1937 – 2017, Portugal) and Charlotte Moth (1978, UK), and curated by Caroline Hancock. In this exhibition Moth shows a new series of works in dialogue with pieces by Carneiro, creating an asynchronous narrative that enables new ways of interpreting both of their practices.

The title Vivenciar means to feel or experience something with intensity. It is a verb that perfectly describes the practices of the two artists, seeing art as an experience, extraordinarily sensitive to their environment and constantly inspired by the small things. What unites them continues in the interest in sculpture, in the act of photographing in black and white, in the travels across the world, in teaching as a job – besides being artists – but particularly in the meditative observation of nature.

The conversation that is established between Carneiro and Moth can only be imagined. It happens through time, it started many years ago, continues in the exhibition and, for now, it does not have an ending in sight. We only know that even though it is happening in different moments, Moth’s works were conditioned by Carneiro’s, and that the way the observer interprets Carneiro’s pieces is influenced by Moth’s vision.

Carneiro’s work was extremely relevant for Portuguese sculpture, breaking with an illustrative canon through various conceptual, performative and experimental questions. Working with sculpture, installation, photography and drawing, the artist aimed to explore a thematic and visual universe based on the relationship between the body and natural elements. This resulted in a strongly authorial body of work marked by philosophical inquiries about the landscape, nature and humans’ relationship with the world.

Working mainly with photography, sculpture and video, Moth sees her pieces as a way to keep, remember and analyze her experiences. By recording small moments of her personal life, the artist explores the shapes that interest her the most, whether they are sculptural, architectural or part of nature. The result is a never static collection of fragments that allows for a constant reinterpretation of her work.

The exhibition will be complemented by a selection of the artists’ catalogs and books from their personal libraries.