Exhibition “Invention of the Memory-Landscape” by Jeane Terra

A Seva House inaugurates, in partnership with Janaina Torres Gallery, the solo exhibition Invention of Landscape-Memory, by the visual artist from Minas Gerais Jeane TerraOn display until September 26, the exhibition presents for the first time the unpublished research “Memory of Ecology”, dedicated to investigating the resilience mechanisms of nature in the face of devastation caused by human action. 

Bringing together approximately 12 works, including paintings, blown glass sculptures, a video installation, and a new installation, the exhibition is curated by [name of curator]. by Heloísa Amaral Peixoto and marks the beginning of this new cycle of research for the artist.

The research continues Jeane's exploration of memory and the erasure of territories. After dedicating her recent work to destroyed or submerged cities, as in “Debris, Hides and Waste” (2021), about Atafona, and “Territories, Ruptures and their Memories (2022), inspired by the cities in Bahia flooded by the construction of the Sobradinho dam, the artist begins to investigate nature itself and the strategies that plants and landscapes develop to survive and regenerate in the face of environmental degradation.

“It is the regeneration of nature through the memory of destruction,” summarizes Jeane Terra about the new research, which stems from the observation of species that sprout again after fires or colonize flooded areas, carrying within them a memory of survival.

At Casa Seva, a space dedicated to sustainability, art, and culture, Jeane presents paintings on "paint skin," sculptures in hand-blown glass, and a video installation. Developed and patented by the artist, the "paint skin" technique combines acrylic paint, binder, and marble powder. After drying, the surfaces are embroidered with cross-stitch, a technique learned from her grandmother and incorporated into her artistic practice.

Among the previously unseen works are three large pixelated paintings in "paint skin," dedicated to water hyacinth and mangrove, species that thrive and multiply in extreme flooding conditions. Completing this core is the installation "Forest of furs"Composed of latex molds taken directly from tree bark, the pieces preserve the textures of the vegetation like a kind of fingerprint of the landscape, proposing a reflection on memory, permanence, and transformation."

The exhibition also brings together works from previous research, highlighting the continuity between different phases of the artist's production. Among them is a large-format painting dedicated to an 18th-century church, submerged after the construction of the Sobradinho dam, as well as two works inspired by the ruins of Atafona.

Another highlight is the series of blown glass sculptures “Memory CapsulesTwo of them, one wall-mounted and one pedestal-mounted, feature monotypes applied to the glass. Two others encapsulate ceramic molds produced from rubble collected by the artist in the cities of Remanso and Sento Sé, in Bahia.

“Glass is born from heated river sand. The materials I use also tell stories: there is a circularity to them, nothing is there by chance,” explains Jeane Terra. Some sculptures incorporate water from the São Francisco River, brought by the artist from the backlands of Bahia to her studio. A video installation complements this set. Projected onto a glass sculpture that incorporates water from the São Francisco River, the work presents images recorded by the artist inside a ruined water tank in the old city of Remanso, a place normally submerged and visible only during periods of drought.

Regarding presenting her work at Casa Seva, Jeane highlights the affinity between her research and the space's mission. "Being at Casa Seva is very important because I find a place committed to environmental issues and that directly engages with what I've been investigating."

Heloísa Amaral Peixoto, in her curatorial text, points out: “A landscape in safety. In disappearance and reappearance, in erasures and resurgences, in approaches and distances, in mystery and clarity. The gaze sometimes lingers, sometimes lingers.” vacancy in geometry, which is sometimes contrasted with the fluid and imprecise character that its surface exhibits. Memory that unfolds in an ordered rhythm of time in terms of the image's form of expression and imbued in terms of its form and content.

Service
Exhibition | Invention of the Memory-Landscape
From August 19th to September 26th
Tuesday to Friday, 11pm to 18pm; Saturday, 11am to 15pm