i’ve always considered myself more of an art-conversationalist than an art-critic and as such i generally respect people’s opinions about artworks, regardless of education or exposure. like m. duchamp, i believe the validity in art is generally created through a partnership between the viewer and the artist. what i must add however, is that in my experience many hidden aspects of artworks are brought to the fore through a contextual understanding of the artist or the work. perhaps i have listened too much to my children’s opinions about art but i still do not believe that the curation of works according to a specific representation is very valid. what we see, what we want to experience and what the artist wants to express, results in such a legion of possible permutations that only the brave or stupid will attempt to define it. confining it is almost as useless as to group the works alphabetically. i, personally prefer a chaotic art historical model where one is free of manipulated or imposed sentiment but here one starts treading water in the marches of understanding art vs experiencing art.
it is with this in mind that i look at lucas simões‘s work. as an artist with a background in architecture and design, his work reflects a lot of the same principles in its construction: the making of a concept becomes an exploration of material and mind. from the visual-scaping of photographic works to the more elaborate installations all contain a certain calculated intervention. whether it is mirrored steel or matt ceramic, the materials used become important components in the interpretation of the work, not only because they were important to the artist, they also create structure, tension and contrast. which ever method is used in simões’ creative process, there is a definite methodology at work. the subtle construction / destruction theme may evoke different feelings but the aesthetics of it is undoubtedly influenced by the artist’s architectural eye; it is a dominating algorithm. although the classifications of some artists are defined by style or medium, some by subject or period, some even by social status or influence; lucas simões will remain an architect to me always.