Materials Lab 2015

Curator: Fernanda Fragateiro's work, Materials Lab, presents itself almost as a collection of studies. It gives the impression of an open box of raw ideas. Editor: My first thought is that there's an appealing tension between the cool, almost architectural precision of the photographic images and the raw, unvarnished presentation. It's like seeing the blueprints alongside the building site. Curator: Exactly! The artist seems to be inviting us to consider the processes of construction. We see these layered photographs, studies in form and space and it makes me wonder about the potentiality of the object. Editor: I'm really struck by the labor and the layers of production involved here. The photographs document the process of constructing models, which themselves represent an artistic vision. Curator: It is a beautiful meta moment. I feel the work is asking us to consider how ideas take shape and how materials can become something more than just what they are. It whispers to me of potential and invention. Editor: It's like she's deconstructing the very notion of the finished artwork. For me, it highlights the inherent value in the making, not just the made. Curator: Agreed. There’s beauty in that unfinished quality, isn’t there? Editor: Absolutely, a celebration of the process.