We all encounter stones along the way, but very few have the gift of Susana Campos from Aveiro: transforming them into works of art. Pieces of crockery or tiles that were destined to die in some pile of rubble, become prominent figures on a canvas – who would have thought that a small shard could have the same shape as a boat, a vase of flowers, a clothesline loaded with clothes, among other objects? Even though she refuses to be called an artist, Susana Campos has not stopped producing paintings, having even exhibited her works to the public twice. Next Saturday, May 4th, she will do it again, at the Casa de Chá at the Museu de Arte Nova, between 3pm and 8pm – just like that, in a pop-up format. There are 100 small format canvases, revealing the creator who awakened her to this form of art through the work and grace of her own destiny.
It all happened in 2018, when Susana Campos started planting the land for the house where she lives. “A lot of Vista Alegre pieces started to come out, Sacavém crockery, hand-painted tiles… incredible things, wonderful pieces. And the next thing I knew, I had half a dozen buckets completely filled with colored rocks. It was so beautiful that I decided not to throw it away and started playing. These pieces started to take shape in my head,” she says. Thus began the adventure of making art in small pieces, albeit “in a very primitive way”, she notes.
A break followed. Susana was forced to stop and fight a battle in the health sector, but as soon as she could, she picked up the pieces again. “And, naturally, I evolved in my roles”, notes the public relations professional who is about to hold her third solo exhibition. The first took place at Galeria Nuno Sacramento, in Ílhavo, with the proceeds from the sale of the paintings going to the multidisciplinary OncoSexology group at the IPO in Coimbra. The second took place in Lisbon, more specifically in the Montepio’s Atmosphere M space. Next comes Aveiro, the land where Susana Campos grew up and lives, more specifically the Casa de Chá at the Arte Nova Museum, in an event open to the public and which will feature a musical performance by Freddy Strings.
