Abel Mota Studio

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2024
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Self-portrait on a small plinth
Self-portrait on a small plinth
Self-portrait
Self-portrait
Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Ronaldo resting
Ronaldo resting
Orlando Spider
Orlando Spider
Luís
Luís
Ronaldo also resting
Ronaldo also resting
Jorge Pen and Cotonete
Jorge Pen and Cotonete
Orlando smoking
Orlando smoking
Orlando
Orlando
Luís
Luís
Luís resting
Luís resting
Pedro Correia
Pedro Correia
Pedro Correia resting
Pedro Correia resting
Self-portrait resting
Self-portrait resting
Self-portrait on a small plinth
Self-portrait on a small plinth
Self-portrait
Self-portrait
Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Ronaldo resting
Ronaldo resting
Orlando Spider
Orlando Spider
Luís
Luís
Ronaldo also resting
Ronaldo also resting
Jorge Pen and Cotonete
Jorge Pen and Cotonete
Orlando smoking
Orlando smoking
Orlando
Orlando
Luís
Luís
Luís resting
Luís resting
2021
It was at number 275 Rua Alvares Cabral in the city of Porto that Abel Mota co-founded O Bueiro with Afonso Rocha and Diogo Nogueira. However, before it had a name, it had already begun to be occupied in September of the previous year. It wasn't until the beginning of 2021 that the idea of a studio began to take shape. In these months, new works emerged, to which those produced in Amares were added. Throughout that year, the idea arose to present the space to the city with an inaugural exhibition that would take place in November of the same year. To this end, with the sponsorship of various organisations, they began a series of renovations to the space while new images were being created.
In the summer of this year, he once again took part in another edition of the Encontrarte Art Biennal, in Amares, alongside Ruca Burbon, João Pais Filipe, Sarah Klimsh, Paulo Neves, José Rosinhas, Carlos Silva + Diogo Santos + Francisco Barbosa. This edition took the form of artist residencies that would culminate in a final exhibition and an informal publication, "Silo", a depository of images collected during the residencies. This edition, like all the others, is the result of the efforts of many people: Fernando Almeida, Martinho Antunes (ARC), Lázaro Silva, Carina Moutinho, Filipe Braga, Sílvia Cunha, João Ferreira, Francisco Babo, João Brites, Thomas Spallek, among many others.
This group of landscapes was realised during the artist's residency held for the Encontrarte Art Biennale.
Unlike the previous landscapes and because of their large scale, these were created in the space of the residency using on-site drawings.
In October, he was selected and awarded the Young Art 2021 Prize by Carpe Diem - Arte e Pesquisa (CDAP) and the Millennium BCP Foundation. The exhibition presented the selected work, ‘O Cenário ou o Grande Interior’, during that month at P31 in Lisbon and was awarded with a gallery acquisition prize. Image courtesy of Carpe Diem
Three years later, as a member of the intercultural movement, the IDENTIDADES project - an action/research collective - returned to Cape Verde with Mário Bismark, Silvia Simões and Inês Vales, meeting up again with Leão Lopes.
As last time in Chã das Caldeiras, we used drawing as a tool to understand the reality that surrounded us, either in the depiction of spaces or during conversations and portraits of the people we met. The project took place in two locations. The first was in São Filipe, on the Island of Fogo, in partnership with the municipal council, and the second was on the island of São Nicolau, in Tarrafal, with the Museu da Pesca, with a view to a later publication with the images produced.
Three years later, as a member of the intercultural movement, the IDENTIDADES project - an action/research collective - returned to Cape Verde with Mário Bismark, Sílvia Simões and Inês Vales, meeting up again with Leão Lopes.
As last time in Chã das Caldeiras, we used drawing as a tool to understand the reality that surrounded us, either in the depiction of spaces or during conversations and portraits of the people we met. The project took place in two locations. The first was in São Filipe, on the island of Fogo, in partnership with the municipal council, and the second was on the island of São Nicolau, in Tarrafal, with the Museu da Pesca, with a view to a later publication with the images produced.
Three years later, as a member of the intercultural movement, the IDENTIDADES project - an action/research collective - returned to Cape Verde with Mário Bismark, Silvia Simões and Inês Vales, meeting up again with Leão Lopes.
As last time in Chã das Caldeiras, we used drawing as a tool to understand the reality that surrounded us, either in the depiction of spaces or during conversations and portraits of the people we met. The project took place in two locations. The first was in São Filipe, on the island of Fogo, in partnership with the municipal council, and the second was on the island of São Nicolau, in Tarrafal, with the Museu da Pesca, with a view to a later publication with the images produced.
Since 1985, Herdade do Esporão has invited Portuguese artists such as Julio Pomar, Alberto Carneiro, Graça Morais, Julião Sarmento and Pedro Cabrita Reis to create the labels for Esporão Reserva and Private Selection. During that summer he was invited by Studio Eduardo Aires to design the Esporão labels for 2021. In October of that year, he produced around 30 works at the Esporão estate.
The paintings and drawings he produces in the studio were based on his own analogical photographs of compositions and moments that he shared with his peers. He began to fictionalise narratives, actions and relationships between characters and between animals that would then be repeated and extended over the next few years. He used his studio colleagues and friends who constantly visited him both as models for these compositions and to pose for the first series of portraits.
“Desculpa, Mãe” (Sorry, Mum), was the inaugural exhibition of his studio, where he exhibits together with his peers, Afonso Rocha and Diogo Nogueira. This exhibition was sponsored by Esporão, CIN, Lume, Palavras&Rimas, Só Papeis, among others, and with the help of his friends Pedro Tavares, Diogo Luis, Leonor Talefe, Pedro Ouro, Francisco Rocha, Cristina Madureira.
2020
2019
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Abel Mota uses painting as an activation of an almost inexhaustible curiosity. He assimilates references from the most diverse origins with the same intensity and articulates them spontaneously. He combines diverse elements from Portuguese, Brazilian or Nordic folklore,Eastern European cinema or his private collection of popular ceramics and other objects, creating a vocabulary that becomes increasingly complex.

Abel Mota (Portugal, 1999) is a painter and visual artist who works between Porto and Braga. He attended the painting course at the Faculty of Fine Arts of University of Porto and Tim Eitel’s studio at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts in Paris, standing out in the first year with the Incentive Prize/Merit Prize. Since 2017 he participated in several artistic residencies, group and solo shows, in Portugal and abroad.

Highlights include projects in Chã das Caldeiras, CapeVerde and Conceição das Crioulas, Brazil, with the ID_CAI - Identidades group and at the Encontrarte Art Biennial. He has exhibited his work at the Palto Gallery, Swab Barcelona, the Soares dos Reis National Museum, the Meng Tak Building Gallery, China, the Encontrarte Biennial, Amares, the FBAUP Museum and at the 21st Cerveira International Art Biennial.  

In 2021 he cofounded his studio and cultural space O Bueiro, in Porto, inaugurating it as an open-studio with the exhibition ‘Sorry, Mum’. That same year, he won the Millennium BCP Foundation's Young Art prize and was invited to create the Herdade do Esporão Artist Labels.  

Since 2019, he has collaborated with the design studio Gémeo Luís and Eduardo Aires Studio.    

A portrait of the artist at his painting studio.

Exhibitions

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2025

(TBA) Plato Gallery Porto (PT)

2024

Queridas Bestas, Plato Gallery, Évora (PT)

2022

Esporão, Permanent exhibition at Herdade do Esporão, Évora (PT)

2022

Landscape at a glance, VII Encontrarte Art Biennale, Amares (PT)

GROUP EXHIBITIONS (Selected)

2024

Dyonisia, Plato Gallery, SWAB Contemporary Art Fair, Barcelona (ES)

2024

Um múltiplo é um múltiplo é um múltiplo, Carpe Diem, Stolen Books, curated by Jente Diepstraten, Lisboa(PT)

2024

Obra-dádiva, Camões institute -Maputo, curated by Paulo Almeida, Mozambique(MZ)

2024

Equine Fair, Pop-up, curated by Felipa Almeida, Lisbon (PT)

2023

El Paisage que Habla, FBAUP Exhibition Pavilion,Porto (PT)

2023

Maia Art Biennial, Maia Forum, Porto (PT)

2023

Da Confluência, VII Encontrarte Art Biennale, Amares (PT)

2022

El Paisage que Habla,Universidad de Guanajuato (MX)

2022

Gerador - National Show of Young Artists (PT)

2022

El Paisage que Habla, Archivo del Sonido y de la Imagen del Consell de Mallorca (ES)

2022

Corrente de Ar, Vol.II, curated by Mariana Baião Santos, Lisbon (PT)

2022

Projeções, Lugar do Desenho, Julio Resende Foundation, Porto (PT)

2022

8 pinturas e 5 desenhos, Drawing Club Space, Porto (PT)

2021

Exhibition of the prize AJ Millenium BCP, curated by Lourenço Egreja, Pavilion 31, Júlio de Matos Hospital, Lisbon (PT)

2021

Sorry, Mom, O Bueiro, Porto (PT)

2021

The hedgehog's dilemma, Proyecto MAP, Facultad de Bellas Artes de Murcia (ES)

2021

The hedgehog's dilemma, Proyecto MAP, Universidad Nacional de las Artes, Buenos Aires (AR)

2021

VI Espinho International Art Biennale, Amadeu Sousa Cardoso Galleries, Espinho (PT)

2020

XXI Cerveira International Art Biennale, Vila Nova de Cerveira (PT)

2020

Drawing Chã, Alternativa Gallery, S. Vicente Island (CPV)

2020

Opening exhibition, Drawing Club Space, Porto (PT)

2020

Desenhar a incerteza, oMuseu FBAUP, Porto (PT)

2019

Transparent Body, Leões Gallery, University of Porto Rectorate Building,Porto (PT)

ARTIST RESIDENCIES

2023

VIII Encontrarte Art Biennale, Amares (PT)

2022

Mnemonic Pavillion, Viana do Castelo (PT)

2021

Artist Labels 2022, resident artist at Herdade do Esporão, Évora (PT)

2021

Drawing Museu da Pesca, organized by Leão Lopes, S.Nicolau Island (CPV)

2021

Drawing S.Filipe, organized by Leão Lopes, Fogo Island (CPV)

2021

João Abel Mota, Casada Botica, VII Encontrarte Art Biennale, Amares (PT)

2019

Dover a seis mãos, VI Encontrarte Art Biennale, Amares (PT)

2018

Desenhar Chã, Artistic residency and collaboration with Chã das Caldeiras in Fogo Island, M_EIA and Atelier-Mar, (CPV)

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

2023

Production grant, Maia Biennial, Porto (PT)

2021

Award Arte Jovem Millenium BCP, Lisbon (PT)

2021

Production grant, Encontrarte Art Biennial, Amares (PT)

2020

Scholarship by Merit for the 2019/2020 Academic Year, attributed by DGES -Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior, Porto (PT)

2020

Erasmus+ Scholarship to ENSBA, Paris (FR)

2018

Scholarship by Merit for the 2017/2018 Academic Year, attributed by DGES -Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior, Porto (PT)

2018

Award Incentivo UP - grant by merit for being the student with the highest score in the academic year, Porto (PT)

PUBLICATIONS

2025

(TBA) Partilha de Reflexões sobre as Artes, as Lutas, os Sabores e os Saberes da Comunnidade de Conceição das Crioulas - livro II; ed. Paiva, José Carlos; i2ADS+ AQCC, Porto (PT)

2025

(TBA) Plato Interviews, Porto (PT)

2024

Artsin Square Magazine, Edition 6, London (UK)

2023

Bienal da Maia 23, Catalog, Camara Municipal da Maia, Porto (PT)

2022

"Ritmos de S.Filipe" in “DESENHAR S.FILIPE" ed. Lopes, Leão; i2ADS + Atelier Mar,Porto (PT and CVP)

2022

(TBA) Illustrations for "Capitão Farel" by Leão Lopes, (reissue)  (CPV)

2021

Silo, Fanzine no. 1, Encontrarte Amares Art Biennale

2021

O que o tempo ainda não roubou: Memórias e reflexões sobre Conceição das Crioulas”. In Partilha de Reflexões sobre as Artes, as Lutas,os Sabores e os Saberes da Comunidade de Conceição das Crioulas- livro II; ed. Paiva, José Carlos; i2ADS + AQCC, Porto (PT)

2020

Esquissos de um vulcão”, in “DESENHAR CHÃ" ed. Paiva, José Carlos & Simões, Sílvia; i2ADS +  Ponto e Vírgula Editions,

PRESS

(articles and interviews)

2024

Interview Oficio da Solitude, with Rui Reininho, directed by Fernando Rocha,Porto (PT)

2024

Plato interviews, (digital version) Plato Gallery, Porto (PT)

2023

Interview Bienaldamaia23: Abel Mota, by João Brojo. Porto (PT)

2022

O Amarense, "Inside & Outside". Casa da Botica hosts painting exhibition by João Abel Mota from 3, December, Pedro Nuno Sousa, 29.11.2022, Portugal

2022

Público, Abel Mota is the newest artist to paint Esporão labels, Luís Octávio Costa, 27.7.2022, Portugal

2022

O Amarense,
The "en-plein-ar" painting that gives "newlife" to the Esporão wine label, 31.07.2022, Portugal

2022

Esporao.com,
Interview: Esporão Reserva white 2021: a excuse for painting, Afonso Sousa, 30.06.2022, Portugal

2022

Esporao.com,
THE STORIES OF A LABEL: ABEL MOTA, Viviana Martins, Portugal

2021

Expresso das ilhas and Balai Cape Verde, M_EIA and Faculdades de Belas Artes do Porto team involved in the Desenhar São Filipe project,
Infopress, 12.07.2021,
Cape Verde

2021

Jornal de Notícias, Apologies are served with irony, Sara Magalhães, 22.11.2021,Portugal

2019

O Amarense, Interview with João Abel Mota, Through the eyes and hands of someone who sees his taste for the world in art, Pedro Nuno Sousa,
13.10.2019,Portugal

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, WORKSHOPS AND COLLABORATIONS

2024/
/2021

Cofounder and active member of O Bueiro Studio, Porto (PT)

now/
/2018

Active member of the Identidades Project ID_CAI do I2ADS (PT)

2023

Collaboration with the Eduardo Aires Studio with the new lables for Quinta dos Murças,  Esporão, Porto(PT)

2023

Drawing workshop with the schools of the Quilombola Community of Conceição dasCrioulas, Pernambuco (BR)

2021

Creation of the Artist Label Esporão in collaboration with Herdade do Esporão andEduardo Aires Studio, Évora (PT)

2021

Contribution to the seminars about the project "Desenhar Chã"(CPV)

2019

Drawing workshop with the schools of the Quilombola Community of Conceição dasCrioulas, Pernambuco (BR)

2019

Collaboration with the Eduardo Aires Studio with the new lable for Bico Amarelo Esporão,Porto (PT)

2019

Collaboration with the Gémeo Luís Studio with the illustration for the collection José Gourmet, Porto (PT)

2019

Organization member of the drawing meeting at Encontrarte Art Biennale, Amares (PT)