Be My Guest is a special-developed project by different artists for celebrating the group exhibition of Galeria NAVE 5th Anniversary. The original concept starts with the exhibition’s title meaning and the single understanding of the challenge gallery has made to all of his artists.

 

Living in a digital age where an invitation is a breath in the air, and the algorithm spreads it like sand in the desert, in a standardized way that is hardly understandable for the mainstream, and overly hi-tech for many, myself included. “THE” traditional formal invitation, personalized and even poetized with some veneration, is nearly gone. NAVE’s feeling also represents the assignment edge of the five years and we wanted to challenge on this occasion our artists to select an artist with whom would like to exhibit for the first time, without limits of creative language, geography, or gender and who also admires too. Even with some tenseness waiting for the answer of the guest, the invite should be made with solemnity, but also, with the expecting modesty of a host. NAVE also participated in the challenge and extended an invitation.

 

I frequently use the substantive feast because clues me to the philosophical emotion of Symposium. Probably because Plato's book is a series of dialogues about nature and different definitions of love. From a personal perspective, it’s impossible to separate Art from the mixture of conceptual perspective of humankind, the Artistic, which offers us perceptions, thoughts, and interpretations that allow the observer to reflect and let themselves, get emotional. The same happens with love, the Artist's self-abnegation when exhibiting their work exposing private and intimate issues to the spectator, they can not only look at it for beauty, but also look in their unconscious and references for an individual view of the work.

 

It is impossible to be apathetic while we visit the exhibition, as we acknowledge that the artists have overcome the challenge, also we are stimulated by an ensemble of several artistic melodies - each of the gallery's artists have chosen their guests individually without sharing their guests with the rest of the group (just with me), rising in a high-toned and quality composition.

In this room there was no concept theme requirement, unless the freedom to show their artistic practices, skin, and essence, and from each artist nature becomes the story that brings them all together.

The 13 artists present 13 works that have the real spirit of a feast, the banquet of poetic and metaphorical dialogues, contained within the gallery space room, primarily offering us everything. The intimacy of the personal thoughts of each artist, and that, beyond art, is also warmth.

 

Be My Guest is an international and multicultural expression of the current image of ultra-contemporary art from Europe. A wealthy exhibition of works crossing an extensive variety of mediums: from installation to sculpture, photography, drawing, painting, video, textile and screen print coming from Norway, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and Portugal to be presented in Lisbon.

 

Apologize me for all the greatness and happiness, but this group exhibition is, in fact, the celebration of the 5th Anniversary of Galeria NAVE, which has featured 34 shows and 29 artists over the past five years.

 

Now, kindly feel at home and be our guests, find all the artists because they are your real hosts.

 

 

Mercedes Cerón

May, 2024

​

​

​

​