Portuguese artist Rui Miguel Leitao Ferreira exhibiting artworks in Taiwan
Join us today as we meet with Portuguese artist Rui Miguel Leitao Ferreira, who is in Taiwan to present his first solo exhibition. The exhibition showcases over 30 of Ferreira’s newest paintings that were inspired by his observations and reflections throughout the pandemic. FTV reporter Stephany Yang spoke to Ferreira to learn more about his works and inspiration.
Walk into the exhibition, and you’ll see paintings that depict some of Ferreira’s favorite childhood memories. One of the works is a self-portrait of Ferreira at Sintra, a town where he went hiking during high school.
Rui Miguel Ferreira
Artist
In this picture I am in Sintra, a famous mountain in Portugal. I was making self-portraits embodying stereotypes of masculinity. As I said, I was wearing my own clothing but I was reflecting on the past that I was not living at the moment. I was exploring that idea of artists going back to nature to get access to their inner world and get away from the constraints of the outside world.
There are also paintings of a beach that Ferreira frequented when he was younger. During the pandemic, Ferreria moved from Lisbon back to his childhood home in the countryside.
Rui Miguel Leitao Ferreira
Artist
During the pandemic, I went back to my countryside place. This is a place I can walk to. I went there every day and take images. Then, going back to my studio and painted using this material. When I am painting them, I am very present in the studio. I guess there is a sense of nostalgia for the past and a strong desire for a freer future outdoors, enjoying.
Due to being barred from social gatherings and restrictions during the pandemic, Ferreria painted several works while reminiscing about his life before the pandemic, and also envisioned what life would be like post-pandemic. There are paintings of Ferreira’s friends from different periods of his life. The paintings reflect his desire for connection.
Rui Miguel Leitao Ferreira
Artist
I go to my archive of images. In this one I was using images of the times I was studying in London and images of the time I went to the beach. I created a space where these characters and friends and times in life everything conflates.
Ferreira was born in Lisbon. He earned his MFA at Goldsmiths’ College, at the University of London. Since then, he has held several solo exhibitions and group shows in art institutions across Europe. In his newest exhibition held in Taiwan, titled “Outdoors – Painting for a Post-Pandemic World,” Ferreira showcases his latest paintings. The paintings are a reflection of the artist’s thoughts and inner reflections on the drastic transformations during the pandemic, as well as rediscovering his childhood memories.
Rui Miguel Leitao Ferreira
Artist
I never think about painting as message-oriented. It is more like self-discovery and the questions I am posing to myself I try to answer with the paintings. Sometimes those questions are not so clear. But it was definitely dealing with post-pandemic times, restriction times, and projecting a post-pandemic future. I love how professional everything is (in Taiwan) and people are very generous. Yesterday I went to have dinner by myself at a restaurant and I was invited to join a group so I got a sense of feeling special here.
Ferreira’s first solo exhibition in Taiwan, and his first in Asia, will be held from March 4 through April 14 at the Mind Set Art Center.
2023-03-10