The Kew Bridge Steam Museum is pleased to announce the opening of a stunning new art exhibition entitled ‘City: Country: Environment’, from November 25 to December 17. The show, by Antonio Dias Ribeiro, will present a selection of his recent artworks in glass, clay and mosaic-based techniques, using a wide range of materials, most of them linked to cityscape and environmental aspects, as well as a few pieces inspired by Omani subjects.

 

All the work on display will be on sale and for every piece sold the museum will receive a donation from the artist. There will be a range of pieces priced at around £240, which gives people an opportunity of acquiring Art at a reasonable price, although some of the work will cost more.
 
Focusing mainly on glass, marble and clay as his media, Antonio brings the many different influences and experiences gathered from his travels into vibrant, complex artworks and projects which often respond to architectural space, interior design transformations and urban environments. Some of the pieces have been exhibited at the Oil & Gas Exhibition Centre, Muscat and at Musée du Vitrail, France, others were created recently to show at Dulwich Art Fair and Islington Contemporary Art & Design 2006, while some were created specially for this exhibition.  
 
Antonio said: “A major concern is finding ways of bringing to the aesthetic advantage of the finished artworks the unique properties and qualities of each material, either on its own or working as a group. This is often associated with a controlled transformation of some of the materials under high firing temperatures, complemented by many other techniques.
 
By taking a fresh approach and using some of the traditional techniques combined with more experimental and personal ones, the finished artworks are intended to lead to a more relaxed and informal dialogue with the viewer, the user of the space and the surrounding environment.
 
That dialogue can be influenced by situations which lead to the creation of the finished piece; these were motivated and drawn from personal concerns on environmental issues, human rights, political corruption and selfishness in a world of greed and uncontrolled development.”
 
Antonio is a Portuguese-born artist residing in London since the mid ‘80s and operating as an independent artist since the early ‘90s. He exhibits regularly at public galleries, museums and public spaces. Art Consultancy and Intensive Art courses in the fields of glass, ceramics and mosaic are also conducted.
 
His work aims to create opportunities for people to look at Art with an open and free mind, widening their horizons and challenging their creative ideas, approach and capabilities when dealing with the materials and their creative expressiveness in contemporary design, art and architecture.