The times, the manner, and the ideas: Zulmiro de Carvalho.

Abstract

This study proposes a historiographical and curatorial itinerary of the work of Zulmiro de Carvalho, inscribing it within the processes of renewal of Portuguese sculpture from the last quarter of the 20th century to the present day. Starting from a reflection on the plurality of time and the dissolution of linear narratives in art, it analyzes the emergence of abstract and minimalist sculpture in Portugal, in conjunction with the international training of artists, almost always provided by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship program and, in the case of Zulmiro de Carvalho, stemming from his experience at St. Martin’s School of Art (London). The central axis of the study therefore develops from the author's critical and curatorial itinerary, which has followed the work of Zulmiro de Carvalho for more than two decades, in different exhibition and institutional contexts. The presence of his works in group exhibitions such as Porto 60/70: The Artists and the City, Studiolo XXI, From Home to a World, and also the most recent projects at the Gramaxo Foundation is mentioned. It is noted how the exhibition concept is responsible for reconfiguring the reading of his work in sculpture, drawing or photography in dialogue with different audiences. Zulmiro de Carvalho's work is characterized by geometric rigor, conscious exploration of materiality and a complicit relationship with space, whether interior or exterior. The affirmation of his work is a structuring reference for contemporary Portuguese sculpture, projecting itself among his peers and beyond borders.