GUSTAVO LOPES PEREIRA
This work presents an African carved wooden bust, meticulously photographed within a vertical frame and set against a deep black background.
The figure is defined by its elongated head, rising proudly from a narrow neck and truncated torso, an arched, helmet-like crown, and deeply cut eyes. The heavy brow, narrow nose, and full, projecting lips exhibit clear signs of age: worn edges, abrasions, exposed lighter wood, darkened polish and decades-old patina.
The heavy chiaroscuro makes the bust appear suspended, almost archival, as though removed for examination. This isolation is important because it asks the viewer to look closely at the object’s form and presence without distraction.
Within the broader Ultramar series, this photograph is a document of migration and historical memory. The project maps the material presence of Africa in the everyday lives of families who relocated to Portugal after the 1974 revolution, at the end of the authoritarian regime and the start of the accelerated process of decolonization.
The narrative of the Portuguese returnee family is not immediately visible in the image itself. This aesthetic distance is precisely what allows the work to function so effectively within contemporary documentary practice, offering a rigorous, unsentimental examination of how colonial memory quietly persists in the present, both object and witness.
The print is intimate rather than monumental, and its scale is highly suitable for private collectors focused on contemporary European photography, documentary practice, and post-colonial visual culture.
For institutions, it is particularly relevant within collections addressing migration and trauma, decolonization, as well as the necessary reflective space for dialogue about heritage and identity.
Materials: Radiant White cotton paper, Inkjet photography print, Black lacquered frame with housing, 5mm PVC and standard glass.
Size: 60 x 42,86 cm
Framed Size: 62,5 x 45,5 cm
Year: 2021
Series: Ultramar
Hand-signed by artist and dated in pencil.
Unique edition
Includes a Certificate of Authenticity
GUSTAVO LOPES PEREIRA
This work presents an African carved wooden bust, meticulously photographed within a vertical frame and set against a deep black background.
The figure is defined by its elongated head, rising proudly from a narrow neck and truncated torso, an arched, helmet-like crown, and deeply cut eyes. The heavy brow, narrow nose, and full, projecting lips exhibit clear signs of age: worn edges, abrasions, exposed lighter wood, darkened polish and decades-old patina.
The heavy chiaroscuro makes the bust appear suspended, almost archival, as though removed for examination. This isolation is important because it asks the viewer to look closely at the object’s form and presence without distraction.
Within the broader Ultramar series, this photograph is a document of migration and historical memory. The project maps the material presence of Africa in the everyday lives of families who relocated to Portugal after the 1974 revolution, at the end of the authoritarian regime and the start of the accelerated process of decolonization.
The narrative of the Portuguese returnee family is not immediately visible in the image itself. This aesthetic distance is precisely what allows the work to function so effectively within contemporary documentary practice, offering a rigorous, unsentimental examination of how colonial memory quietly persists in the present, both object and witness.
The print is intimate rather than monumental, and its scale is highly suitable for private collectors focused on contemporary European photography, documentary practice, and post-colonial visual culture.
For institutions, it is particularly relevant within collections addressing migration and trauma, decolonization, as well as the necessary reflective space for dialogue about heritage and identity.
Materials: Radiant White cotton paper, Inkjet photography print, Black lacquered frame with housing, 5mm PVC and standard glass.
Size: 60 x 42,86 cm
Framed Size: 62,5 x 45,5 cm
Year: 2021
Series: Ultramar
Hand-signed by artist and dated in pencil.
Unique edition
Includes a Certificate of Authenticity
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