The SLA festival is an international contemporary art event held every two years, bringing together artists from diverse backgrounds to foster creative exchanges and cultural dialogue. After its 2019 edition in Los Angeles and 2022 in Palermo, the next festival will take place in Lisbon from October 15th to 19th, 2024. The festival aims to create lasting connections between local artists from Sète and global talents, blending different artistic traditions, myths, and ideas.
Felipe Oliveira Baptista, a renowned artist born in the Azores, is one of the artists in this edition. Known for his deep connection to the natural power of his birthplace, Baptista’s works often reflect the raw forces of the ocean, volcanic landscapes, and rich, contrasting materials.
One of Baptista’s standout contributions to the festival is his series The Hunger and The Hunger Drawings, which began in 2023. The series features vast chalk drawings on slates, showcasing bodies that appear devoured and convulsed. This imagery conveys themes of hunger, both literal and metaphorical, exploring the human condition’s extremes and the drive for artistic freedom. In his diptychs on paper, Baptista’s bold black lines on white backgrounds capture the paroxysm of movement, expressing an insatiable hunger for creative expression. The series draws inspiration from his personal experiences and the emotional intensity of the Azores, weaving together a narrative of yearning and release.
Join us for a conversation with Felipe Oliveira Baptista as he shares his journey as an artist. Together, we’ll explore the changing sources of his inspiration, the importance of freedom in his work, and the lasting charm of fashion.
The Hunger and The Hunger Drawings
