PT / EN

In her third solo exhibition at the Carlos Carvalho Contemporary Art Gallery, Jessica Backhaus will present two of her most recent series, THE NATURE OF THINGS and INDICATIONS OF THE SEA

 

With THE NATURE OF THINGS, Jessica Backhaus bring us attention to the small things and subtle details, which, according to the artist, often hold deeper meaning and can reveal a lot about the bigger picture. These nuances, though seemingly minor, can convey more than what is immediately obvious. These works capture ordinary objects and scenes—whether found in the world or staged by the artist—drawing from personal experiences and instincts to create images that transcend personal boundaries. These works have multiple layers of understanding, which can be seen as elements of a narrative or a visual experience, all sharing a common search for what lies beneath the images, reflecting the essence of existence itself.

 

In INDICATIONS OF THE SEA she emphasizes and reinterprets reality through collage, using this medium to highlight details and to create new perspectives. This poetic approach of nuances, textures, and fleeting moments is a continuation of the artist's series of works, now evolving her vocabulary and practice into a transitional space between reality and abstraction.

 

In each of these works, there is a common effort to expand small details of everyday life, transforming them into a microcosm of sensory experiences. By focusing on seemingly insignificant details, the artist reveals the complex reality of simple things, almost reducing them to their elemental plasticity: light, shadow, color, and volume, enhancing the visual richness present. Through these compositions, Backhaus manages to distill the essence of things, removing the unnecessary and concentrating on the simplest units. This reduction to the minimum is not a simplification but a way to amplify the intensity and presence of the elements, articulating the representation of reality with abstraction.

Cactus, 2021
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Chair, 2022
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Constellation, 2022
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Curves, 2022
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Light, 2023
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Paper, 2022
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Trees, 2021
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Rapture, 2023
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Keep track of our exhibitions, artists and events.