On trust

Ten of my favourite artworks have gone missing. They were exhibited in Setúbal, last autumn, on the occasion of an annual event called Festa da Ilustração, which celebrates the best of Portuguese illustration from the previous year. The event organisers lost all the works that were framed. The most important ones, of course. I'm devastated.

I had so much to do, work-wise, after the exhibition ended in November that I only asked the organisers about the return of the illustrations last February. I always feel anxious when other people handle my works, I never fully trust that they will be carefully removed from the frames and layered with tissue paper. But more often than not they are returned even more protected than when I sent them. However, Setúbal told me that the works were already in Lisbon, so I had no choice but to blame my delay in writing to the organisers (although they should also have said something to me when they dismantled the exhibition) and trust that the illustrations weren't damaged. But not all the works were there, in the first and only package they returned. Only the sketches. Since then, I've been trying to arrange a day to pick up the rest of the works. It's the end of June. March, April, May, June. They never asked me about insurance rates when preparing the exhibition, as other events do. In fact, the whole process until the inauguration was full of mishaps. I ignored many warning signs on the grounds of “they're too busy”, “it's their informal style”, “miscommunication”, and so on. I don't know why I kept trusting them.

They're going to pay for the lost works, but it's not the same thing. The drawings were very meaningful to me.

:(

One of the missing works :(

Prefigurative illustrations

Here’s a podcast about prefigurative politics and below the illustrations I drew for a book about Lisbon and perspectives for its future. The themes were: social life, economy, mobility, urbanism and environment.

And here are some sketches from two projects I'm working on at the moment. All are still works in progress.

Tieta & José Malhoa

June is one of the best months to enjoy Lisbon. Or to escape the city. It depends on whether you like the festivities or not. I'm not a big fan of arraiais, but I love to go, at least once, to Largo da Rosa to eat a seitana (a vegan version of a typical Portuguese sandwich), and dance to the concerts and DJ sets that Renovar a Mouraria always carefully curates.

Notice the red flag on the bunting banner. The resistance flag <3

This is the atmosphere and everyone is dancing and singing along to classics like this or this!

Speaking of flowers, one of my hoyas has bloomed.

Micro acts of resistance

Following the two open letters signed by French and English writers denouncing the genocide in Gaza and calling for an immediate ceasefire, the José Saramago Foundation took the initiative to do the same with Portuguese-speaking writers, gathering 200 signatories. I gave my signature and an illustration. News here, open letter here.

I participated in a TV show about illustration (remotely, I didn't have the whole morning to go to the TV studio) and sent, as requested, some of my works to be shown during the interview. The first one I sent and the first to be broadcast on national television was the poster I made for Land Day.

In a brief interview about the process of judging the Fnac Novos Talentos illustration competition, I wore my ‘the two state solution is a myth invented by the colonial powers’ hat (0’40’’).

June favourites

A new website, launched last week, dedicated to research and data on inequality and core-periphery dynamics on the word-system. Needless to say, Jason Hickel is behind the project.

A two-minute video, produced by a range of artists, including Kneecap, and backed by leading Palestinian support groups, that does a public service on what is happening in Gaza. Share it!

An essay by Steven Vogel on post-truth, Internet, AI and their connection to the rise of reactionary politics.

Three short books I read this month:

Have a great July (all things, state-of-the-world considered)!