Opening: August 2nd at 6pm
Patent until: August 30th
Schedule: Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 1pm, and from 2pm to 6pm
Location: LAC – Laboratório de Actividades Criativas, Algarve
Admission: Free
Synopsis
The summer of 1991 marked my first visit to Portugal and, since then, the Algarve has become a place I return to again and again. Over the years, my love for Portugal has only deepened, sparking a growing curiosity about its culture and history. When the opportunity arose to create and exhibit a series of paintings in Portugal, I felt a strong responsibility to establish a meaningful connection with the Portuguese public – not only through the image, but also through the narrative.
It was in this search for connection that I discovered the powerful story of Inês de Castro and Prince Pedro. What began as a spark of interest quickly turned into a deep fascination. Their story – full of forbidden love, betrayal, tragic loss and a surreal, almost mythical resolution – offered everything I look for in narrative painting.
This set of works explores her story through three key moments in time, with Inês at the center. Each painting reflects not only Inês’ emotional journey, but also Pedro’s enduring and obsessive love for her – a love that defied death itself.
Inspired by one of Portugal’s most moving legends, this series is a tribute to a love story that proves, in the most disturbing and poetic way, that love never truly dies.
Artists
James Klinge (b. 1983) is an artist from Glasgow, Scotland, who brings an exciting contemporary approach to traditional forms of portraiture and figurative painting, specializing in a technique using hand-cut templates and spray paint.
The figures in his works seek to tell a story, whether with historical influences or based on the present day, through his unique style and execution – not only in his works on canvas, but also in his ability to work on a large scale in his mural creations.
Previously, Klinge worked successfully anonymously under the pseudonym “Klingatron”, a name he decided to abandon in early 2016 for personal and professional reasons. At this point, his work underwent a significant change, bringing a combination of minutia and detail from working with molds, complemented by what he describes as a “controlled chaos” of expressive marks made with a spatula. Despite being inspired by the classical masters of figurative painting, Klinge has dedicated the last two decades to developing his mastery of spray paint, manipulating it in a unique and unprecedented way. As a result, his figurative and portrait paintings leave the viewer amazed at the texture and impressive marks, giving the feeling of being in an oil painting rather than a spray painting.
It is thanks to this unparalleled execution that James Klinge has been exhibiting his works internationally for the last two decades.
