Viagens, António Vasconcelos Lapa

Firstly, this exhibition is a journey through the current path of AVL's work. Vasconcelos Lapa's "great journey" is marked by the birth of his grandson in 2001, which determined a turning point in his artistic expression, becoming known as the "Vicente" phase. Each piece was created for this exhibition following the matrix that characterizes this stage of his artistic career: the exaltation of color, with intense glazes associated with imaginary figures, exotic animals, amusing faces, proverbs, and the universes of a children's story, where elements of large scale, such as trees, fruits, and seeds, are condensed, a fanciful nature created by a grandfather to nourish his grandson's imaginative universe. Made to be touched, Vasconcelos Lapa's pieces possess an unusual characteristic in ceramics: they are playful and multisensory. Made by the artist's hand to entice the hand of those who encounter them, they have dangling, vibrant, colorful elements that produce sounds when moved. They are tempting toys, an irresistible appeal to the hand. They ask to be touched, felt, heard, and appreciated.