Seraphita

The call of art was such for Rui Sanches that he quit the third year of his degree in medicine to join Ar.Co – Centro de Arte e Comunicação Visual. His training there was unfortunately interrupted by unstable post-war times, leading to seek education and inspiration elsewhere, namely in London, at the Golsmiths’ Goldsmith's College (1977–1980) and then at Yale University (1980–1982). These international experiences greatly benefited his inquisitive practice. He was in direct contact with the changes and developments of modernism as they were occurring. The fundamental interrogations of the period can still be found echoed in Sanches’s art to this day. His work seems to refuse to be easily categorised. From wall sculptures to multi-material installations, the Portuguese artist has never ceased to push established boundaries. Seraphita sees to abstract figures – based on Sanches’ Orpheus from the same year – equipped with a pole mirror each other in a confrontational stance. It is unclear whether the scene is that of a battle or a dance, but the symmetry creates an invisible bridge between the figures, despite the distance that separates them.