Drawing (with pigment) 1995 - 1999

Curator: Looking at this minimal piece, Helena Almeida's "Drawing (with pigment)" immediately gives me a feeling of quiet vulnerability. It’s just lines, really, but so evocative. Editor: Indeed, it appears to be a quick sketch. The material, paper with pigment, supports an intimate scale, reflecting a sense of immediacy and perhaps even a critique of traditional painting's grand gestures. Curator: The black pigment pooling between the legs…it's a void, a shadow, but also potent. Is it shame? Is it power? Editor: The lack of extensive detail shifts focus from representation to the very act of drawing. We’re confronted with the economy of means, forcing us to consider the artist's labor and intention. Curator: I think there's an honesty here. Like she's showing us the raw nerve, the unpolished thought. Editor: Ultimately, Almeida uses such simple marks to ask complex questions about the body, space, and the role of the artist. Curator: It makes you wonder what she was thinking, feeling, at that precise moment. Editor: Agreed; it’s a quiet, yet powerful reflection on the artistic process.