And Your Flesh Becomes a Poem - solo exhibition
Underdogs Gallery 2025
Lisbon, January 2025 – Underdogs opens 2025 in the best possible way with a new solo exhibition by artist Tamara Alves. Opening on 24 January, this is the artist's first solo show at this gallery since 2020, and features 27 works, combining drawing, watercolour, resin and wood. As for the themes that run through the creations, they are mainly instinctive vitality, love and the wild forces that mould the human experience.
Recognised for her raw and poetic exploration of primal instincts and untamed emotions, Tamara Alves has built an engaging narrative that celebrates the visceral connections between humans, animals and the natural world. This solo exhibition follows on from one held in 2000 at Underdogs. ‘Over the last five years,’ explains Tamara Alves, ‘I've been interested in the message of absence, of silence. The invisible, the seduction of the
unspoken’. That's why, for example, there are drawings that have emerged from a stain, along with resin portraits or torn watercolours, which don't give the whole narrative.
In the new exhibition ‘And Your Flesh Becomes a Poem’, the duality of the human condition remains one of the artist's key themes, along with the night as a setting, instincts and introspection, in which we are confronted with what is most intimate and true in us. The female figure continues to be a ‘central focus’ in the artist's work.
The female figure continues to be the ‘central focus’ of the artist's work, and she also believes that in this show there is a ‘greater deconstruction of the figure and a greater emphasis on the word’. An example of this is the title of the exhibition, which borrows from the poem by American writer Walt Whitman. The lack of control, visible in the works that use ‘torn paper, almost as if it were skin’, was introduced to contrast with her personal restraint, explains Tamara Alves.
The artist builds fragments that evoke absence, silence and tension. Between overlappingvshadows and torn lines, she guides us through a universe where light and darkness coexist, revealing a confrontation with mortality that paradoxically celebrates life. Inspired by mythologies and still lifes, his work invites us to pause for reflection and to encounter the ‘obscure’ that lives within each of us.
Alongside the exhibition, which will run until 8 March, there will also be a limited edition of Underdogs, to be launched on the Wednesday before the exhibition, 22 January. At the opening, on Friday 24 January, everyone who wants to see the new works by Tamara Alves will also be able to admire the mural that she has painted on the back of the gallery in Marvila. ‘The Wolf Awaits’, inspired by a phrase by Abbas Kiarostami, invites contemplation and reflection on our own essence, and enriches this urban space in the capital.
©Bruno Lopes
©Chris Costa
ADN Digital
±MaisMenos± | AKACORLEONE | ALEXANDRE FARTO AKA VHILS | HALFSTUDIO | PEDRITA | PICHIAVO | TAMARA ALVES | ADD FUEL | WASTED RITA | KAMPUS
CAA - Centro Arte Águeda
Curated Pauline Foessel
2025
The exhibition Digital DNA explores how urban art has been transformed by the digital universe. Through immersive installations, augmented reality, virtual reality, and blockchain technology, visitors are invited to question what remains “public” and “authentic” in an era where walls extend beyond the streets and into the digital realm.
Featuring artists ±MaisMenos±, AKACORLEONE, Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, Halfstudio, Pedrita, PichiAvo, Tamara Alves, AddFuel, Wasted Rita, and Kampus, Digital DNA reflects on the evolution of urban art and seeks to uncover the possibilities of its future in an increasingly digital world.
Founded by artist Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, Ephemeral Ethernal curates and produces projects in digital art, light, and sound, exploring the intersection between physical and digital experiences (phygital)
Production Ephemeral Eternal
As 3 Marés
| MAR MOTTO
As Trés Marés
Festival MAR MOTTO
Curated by Dona Edite
I am made of water and fire
At the meeting point between skin and ocean, between gesture and cry, “I am made of water and fire” rises as a mural of resistance and freedom. A woman — flower in hand, sea on her face — becomes a living manifesto.
Part 2 of a triptych created with Micaela Fikoff and Rina Marques
Curated and filmed by Dona Edite
Supported and organised by Sciaena
©Dona Edite
Tamara Alves - Underdogs Artists Collection
Volume VI
Editor: Miguel Moore
Text: Miguel Côrte-Real
Graphic design: João M. Machado w/ Óscar Silva
Portuguese and English
27 × 19 cm
144 pages
Colour
2024
Available here
Between Two Waters
BLAC DWELLE | BLACKSON AFONSO | JORGE CHARRUA |
RAQUEL BELLI | TAMARA ALVES |
TIAGO HESP | VASCO MAIO
Between Two Waters
Underdogs Gallery
26.01.2024 - 30.03.2024
Splash. Deep in the water, with your eyes wide
open, you cannot see that much. As you return to
the surface, opaqueness is quickly transformed
into transparency. Now, you can see the world
crystal clear. Somewhere in between both, a place
where the familiar and the unknown coexist –
that is where you would like to remain. In an
increasingly binary world, however, one feels
pressured to choose a side. Conviction is praised
and uncertainty is avoided or refused. While doubt
is commonly associated with crisis, certainty is
understood as a cure for calamity.
Conversely, art nurtures itself precisely of the
benefit of the doubt. Ambiguity, speculation,
and contradiction react to our incapacity of not
knowing. Art asks questions more than it brings
answers, enabling spaces of discussion to emerge
and recognizing the troubling processes of
decision-making. In the suspended place of art,
there is enough room for fragility, empathy, and
alterity.
“Between Two Waters” gathers the work of seven
Portuguese artists who sustain in their works
the value of living in the liminal space. They
acknowledge mixed feelings about political
spectrums, ideologies, extremism, the inner and
outer worlds, and the digital and physical realms.
They examine, reassure, and safeguard the in-
between space, which becomes important during
times when we all need to learn to accept being
uncertain.
”Dreams that turn to stone as heavy as the moon”
NOAH ZAGALO | PEDRITA STUDIO |
RUÍDO | TAMARA ALVES |
PORTO ART SQUARE
Ephemeral phygital art installation developed by Ephemeral Eternal and Underdogs Gallery
2023
A building is a body through which many other bodies have passed through. A body replete with stories and memories, that transmutes, transfigures. As the saying goes, “Walls have ears”: architecture witnesses life, death, extinction. In Tamara Alves’ installation a woman is part of the building composed of skins and layers of past.
She emerges from within the entrails of the architecture, from the depths of history and surfaces, projecting her dreams and desires.
She fights against oblivion and for her own protagonism.
🎥: @expandingroots
Urban
(R)Evolution
Urban Art Exhibition
Cordoaria Nacional, Lisboa
21 JUN - 3 DEZ 2023
Urban(R)Evolution chronicles the fascinating development of urban art, beginning with its early stages as tags, graffiti, and subway pieces, progressing through the influential middle period and, eventually, giving rise to street art. The art form originated with spray paint and wheat paste but quickly evolved to incorporate various techniques from around the globe. The explosive combination of graffiti, breakdancing, and rapping led to a worldwide eruption of popular expression.The low barrier to entry, requiring artists to learn on the streets rather than in exclusive academies, allowed for widespread participation in the three distinct disciplines of music, dance, and painting, which had been largely inaccessible until the late 1970s and early 1980s. Ideas, fashion, music, dance, and imagery from urban art infiltrated mass media, becoming a defining aspect of popular culture. This captivating evolution is presented through the keen perspective of renowned photographer Martha Cooper.
The exhibition features immersive rooms that showcase the diverse art styles and techniques that have evolved from the inception of street art to the present day. Acclaimed Portuguese and international artists create these captivating installations from the movement.
The revolutionary aspect of the show lies in the intentional accessibility of the artwork from the urban art movement. The artists' openness to working on any surface and their use of diverse media and techniques were groundbreaking for a global art movement. Urban(R)Evolution explores the phenomenal creative explosion that swept across the world, facilitated by the power of mass media and the low barrier to entry for artists.
18 artists, curated by Pauline Foessel and Pedro Alonzo.
±MaisMenos± [PT]; Add Fuel [PT]; AkaCorleone [PT]; André Saraiva [SE-FR]; Barry McGee [US]; Felipe Pantone [AR-ES]; Futura [US]; Jason Revok [US]; Lee Quiñones [PR-US]; Martha Cooper [US]; Maya Hayuk [US]; Nuno Viegas [PT]; Obey SKTR [PT]; Shepard Fairey [US]; Swoon [US]; Tamara Alves [PT]; Vhils [PT] e Wasted Rita [PT]
More info here.
©Vasco Vilhena
©Ana Pires
©João Belém
©Francisca Capelo
Laurent Marthaler
RESIDENCY
LAURENT MARTHALER
Montreux 2023
During my residency at Galerie Laurent Marthaler in Montreux, I developed a body of work rooted in introspection, slowness, and a deep dialogue with place. Surrounded by the stillness of the Swiss landscape and the proximity of Lake Geneva, I explored the relationship between the human figure, instinct, and the natural world, themes that consistently shape my practice.
The residency became a space for quiet observation and transformation, where softness and intensity coexisted. Through layered processes and a sensitive use of materials, I created works that reflect inner landscapes as much as external ones, allowing emotion, memory, and instinct to surface organically. This period marked a contemplative pause in my trajectory, reinforcing my interest in presence, vulnerability, and the poetic tension between the wild and the intimate.
Shattered Echoes | Saw This Made This
Bombay Sapphire x Tam
I was challenged by @bombaysapphirept to create
an original piece under the theme #SAWTHISMADETHIS
inspired by traditional Portuguese motifs and the
streets of Lisbon.
My inspiration comes from traditional Portuguese
tiles and contemplating on the decadent and melancholic influence that time exerts on them in the streets of Lisbon. I also drew inspiration from the work of Vieira da Silva, incorporating the symbolism of the tiles and the visible lines of the painter into the breaks of my panel.
I tried to evoke the beauty and melancholy of bygone times.
“Shattered Echoes”
Panel of broken tiles
45x65cm
2023
©Ana Pires
Levi’s Portugal Beauty of Becoming x Pride
“What would you say to your 14 year old self?”
I would also say “run with the wolves”
THE PRIDE OF BECOMING
Published on June 22, 2021 by Francisco Vaz Fernandes
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR 14-YEAR-OLD SELF?
Levi’s® Portugal partnered with members of the local LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate the launch of the Pride 2021 collection. During Pride Month, the brand developed a series of audiovisual content based on the real-life experiences of five young LGBTQIA+ Portuguese voices.
Coming from different backgrounds, these young people shared their personal journeys and stories. Each of them responded to the questions: “What would you say to your 14-year-old self? And what advice would you give them?” — questions inspired by the global campaign concept The Beauty of Becoming, launched earlier this year, and the Levi’s® Pride 2021 campaign, which was inspired by cultural change and the evolving conversation around gender .
pronouns.
With art direction by Filipe Correia dos Santos, photography by Gonçalo Silva, and featuring the voices of musician Alex D’Alva Teixeira, drag queen Lola Herself, visual artist Tamara Alves, and LGBTQIA+ activists T-Guys Cuddle Too, these powerful, intimate new videos and photos focus on the authentic self-expression of their creators.
The project aims to help build, share, and amplify strong messages of love, acceptance, inclusion, and diversity.
Video @shotandcutfilms
Photography @goncaloasilva
Makeup @raquelreniermakeup