Miki Leal
At the baseline

3 + 1 Arte Contemporânea is pleased to present the first solo exhibition in Portugal by the artist Miki Leal (Seville, 1974), titled Na linha de fundo (At the baseline)

The artist presents a series of paintings and ceramic installations through his investigations into the sport of tennis, a pastime that the artist holds with close affinity. Works are composed and positioned in the space much like a tennis court, outlined by the net and large-format paper paintings that seem to reinforce the contours of the gallery. The title itself, Na linha de fundo (At the baseline), refers to this idea of demarcation, which can also be understood as a reflection on the limits of painting itself, on the pictorial symbol and how it is reproduced and interpreted.

Miki Leal puts into play various cultural references ranging from tennis to tradition and art history. He opens a dialogue between iconic figures such as Ivan Lendl, the pottery of Bordalo Pinheiro, and traditional painting (here represented by the still lifes). In this exhibition, as in all of Miki Leal’s work, the figurative overlaps with the abstract, the abstract with the figurative, and so on until arriving at a guiding thread that leads us to a referential universe. A universe in which we come across a commentary, not only on semiotics but also on the history of painting.

Miki Leal (1974) was born in Seville, Spain, and lives and works in Madrid. He studied Fine Arts at the University of Seville. Some of his recent exhibitions include: Centro de Arte Rafael Botí, Córdoba (2017); La Madraza Centro de Cultura Contemporánea UGR, Granada (2017); Fundacion Caja Sol, Seville (2017); Museo MAD Antequera, Málaga (2016); Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León MUSAC, León (2015); Centro de las Artes de Sevilla CAS, Seville (2015); Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo CAAC, Seville (2014, 2013, 2002, 2001, 2000). He participated in the XXVI, XXIII, XX & XIX Certamen Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo ciudad de Utrera, Utrera (between 1999 – 2005); 2nd Bienal Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo de Sevilla, Seville (2006); IX Bienal Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo Ciudad de Oviedo, Oviedo (2000). In 2016 he won the 1st prize of 31º Premio BMW Pintura, Madrid, and Beca de la Academia de BBAA de San Fernando in Rome, Italy. Other awards include: 1st prize of I Premio Bienal de Pintura Rafael Botí (2013); Premio Altadis de Pintura (2006); 1st prize Certamen Nacional de Arte Joven (IAJ) Málaga (2002); 1st prize Artistas Jóvenes de la Fundación el Monte, Sevilha (1998). Miki’s works are part of the following collections: Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo CAAC, Seville; Comunidad de Madrid; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MUSAC); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; among others.