Cinema and sculpture - two different fields of activity engaged in by two Portuguese artists who will unveil works of light and shadow, movement and stillness within the unique space of the Hara Museum. －What kind of time and space will this confrontation between opposites give birth to?
Pedro Costa and Rui Chafes are two artistic geniuses from Portugal who have won international acclaim in two different areas of expression: cinema and sculpture. The movie director Pedro Costa has created highly original work that straddles the line between documentary and fiction. Critics have lavished praise on his films which have garnered awards at the Locarno International Film Festival and Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. Costa continues to fascinate viewers with films in which serene visual beauty coexist with a destructive view of the world. Working mainly in iron, Rui Chafes creates sculptures that push the envelope of expressive possibilities. Chafes has represented Portugal at such international art festivals as the Venice Biennale and Sao Paulo Biennale. This exhibition, entitled MU in memory of the great Japanese film director Yasujiro Ozu, features a total of ten works, consisting of five video installations and five sculptural works, including three new works by each artist that were created especially for the space within the Hara Museum. One of the highlights of the show is the combined display of video material from Costa's representative works No Quarto da Vanda (In Vanda's Room) and Juventude em Marcha (Colossal Youth) along with iron sculptures by Chafes, which are newly presented in the form of an installation. What awaits viewers is an experience of time and space that is different from a typical visit to a movie theater.

In a show of contrasting idioms - projected video installations and iron sculptures - one of the highlights will be how the two will be made to "confront" each other within the gallery space. The works made after FOR A!/OUT! include Pedro Costa's installation Minio Macho, Minion Fêmea which incorporates video material from In Vanda's Room, while another work Casal da Bova includes footage from Colossal Youth. Both works deviate from the format of the traditional theatrical movie, raising questions about the meaning of the video experience. Ruis Chafes' sculptures Tenho Frio (I'm Cold) and Vê Como Tremo (See How I Shake), which appeared in FORA!OUT!, seem to be a form of architecture or furniture. Their strange shapes, however, which make them look like something entirely different, as well as the heaviness of the iron and their massiveness give them a peculiar power that infuses the space with tension. In addition to these works, the exhibition will include three new creations by each artist.

*image (left)
Pedro Costa Casal da Boba, 2005,
video installation,
Collection of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art
ⒸPedro Costa Courtesy of the artist