Tile Sketch #3

Somewhere between a chess set and a children's coloring book, Pedrita Studio reuses the codes of azulejo, the traditional Portuguese ceramic. On a large sheet of Manila paper, a variety of unique watercolor motifs are assembled, which, when placed side by side, form a face if the viewer moves away from them. Plant, geometric and undefined motifs intermingle, as do indications of coloring (light tones, whites, bluish whites, etc.). The title, Tile Sketch #3, makes it clear that the viewer is looking at a preparatory work. This work, in the wake of other studio productions, is taken from a photograph found by chance, illustrating an unknown moment in life. Here, the viewer witnesses an aesthetic reflection on questions of identity, image reproduction and portraiture, based on traditional craft techniques rooted in their national culture. In assimilating this almost haphazard assemblage technique, a more contemporary notion is attached: that of photographic pixelation. In short, a reinterpretation of the medium of inspiration through a completely different medium.