Opening of “Da Vinci Simulacrum” by Margarida Sardinha

Margarida Sardinha presents the Da Vinci Simulacrum project, an installation of lightboxes, on display curated by Hugo Dinis at MIAA – Iberian Museum of Archeology and Art in Abrantes, from 23 April to 25 September.

Taking as a starting point some of the most iconic paintings and drawings by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) – The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, Saint John the Baptist, Virgin of the Rocks, among other lesser-known works – the artist deconstructs existing geometric assumptions in a collective unconscious.

Through in-depth investigation and detailed study of symbology, and using a methodology that comes from scientific, artistic and religious knowledge, the works presented question, above all, the way of apprehending the world, but also the analysis of a structure innate internal.

In this sense, signs are not seen in their immutable context, namely social, political, cultural or temporal, which tend to fix their meanings. By losing their anchor of meaning, symbols reveal a formal concentration, or a combinatory current of meanings, dependent on human sensitivity, which translates into a set of ideas, emotions and languages ​​that are transversal to all societies.

“The interesting thing is to realize that when talking about symbols, archetypes or immutability, there is a structure behind that symbol that can be explored in different ways. A symbol can be political, religious, scientific or community. Therefore, the same symbol can reflect different ways of thinking and represent different meanings in different cultures and in different ways.”, explains Margarida Sardinha.

Da Vinci Simulacrum opens on April 23 at 4 pm at MIAA – Iberian Museum of Archeology and Art of Abrantes, with the support of Guarantee Culture and Abrantes City Council in partnership with the Figueiredo Ribeiro Art Collection.

ABOUT THE ARTIST MARGARIDA SARDINHA:

Margarida Sardinha’s artistic practice comprises site-specific installation, experimental animation and digital compositions based on symbology. Usually reproduced as optical illusions, her message is based on the juxtaposition of parallel concepts in literature, philosophy, religion, science and art. They have already obtained several awards and nominations at international film festivals.

Her projects have been shown in museums and galleries in London, Lisbon and New York. Margarida was selected for the Aesthetica Art Prize and COCA Project, Italy in 2021 and won the Young Creators Prize in 1999. Her work is represented in several public and private collections in Portugal and her site-specific installation Oxymoron Tiling @LX Factory marks the importance of public art in Lisbon.

Margarida Sardinha graduated in Fine Art Combined Media from Chelsea College of Art & Design and Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design (UAL) in London, where she lived for ten years. She currently lives in Azueira, Portugal.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and TikTok and see the exclusive content for social networks.