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OF VISUAL ARTIST JOÃO DELFIM
PRINTMAKING / ART DIRECTION / VIDEO / POETRY
Waterways and Fisheries represents a journey of introspection and reminiscing on souvenirs of boyhood and adolescence. Going backwards to a place of fear and shame enabled me to create a visual universe of warmth and self-acceptance, where manifestations of desire are welcome to blossom. This project presents itself as a collection of cosmic male figures, depicted through various techniques of etching and printmaking, serving as illustrations for a series of original poems, using aquatic themes to recount the homosexual awakening of its protagonists. Two coming-of-age tales are woven within this ensemble: an underwater story of melodramatic passion binding two swimmer boys for eternity and an antique-inspired, everlasting love affair between two cosmic mariners.
Mainly inspired by my childhood home, the costal, ex-fishing town of Matosinhos in the north of Portugal, these two fictions intimately intertwine elements of Portuguese folklore or literature and allusions to ancient Greek mythology, notable Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Our four unnamed protagonists escort us along on the submarine ride that is their utopian journey. The lyrical poems are signed by Sunflower, also a fictional character, who is at the origin of this unforeseen double-narrative. Sunflower is the make-believe son of Clytie and Apollo, born from love and adoration. Half-man, half-flower, he sees the world differently, through the sunflowers in his eyes.
Mainly inspired by my childhood home, the costal, ex-fishing town of Matosinhos in the north of Portugal, these two fictions intimately intertwine elements of Portuguese folklore or literature and allusions to ancient Greek mythology, notable Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Our four unnamed protagonists escort us along on the submarine ride that is their utopian journey. The lyrical poems are signed by Sunflower, also a fictional character, who is at the origin of this unforeseen double-narrative. Sunflower is the make-believe son of Clytie and Apollo, born from love and adoration. Half-man, half-flower, he sees the world differently, through the sunflowers in his eyes.
The first installment of Waterways and Fisheries tells the story of a young man from a Fishing Town, in love with swimming and soon to fall for a newcomer. After years of a quiet and dull life in his natal village near the sea, he was, even so, looking for some companionship, someone who would share his heartfelt passion for diving into the water — and ultimately share half of his heart. One foggy day, while playing on his own amongst the wavy sea, he lost his goggles. He panicked, for without them he could not see underwater and was unable to reach the ocean floor. Swiftly comes to the rescue an impressive young stud, tall and sculptural, whom our protagonist had never seen before. He dove deep into the tidal waves, retrieved the swimming goggles, and handed them gently to his newly made friend.
Afterwards, the story moves on to a more tragic, antique-inspired labor of love. That of two mariners, secretly in love with one another, separated by a colossal shipwreck, left wondering if they will find their way back to one another. There were not many survivors and the first sailor found himself alone, drifting through the waves on a piece of wood. He is then visited by Aphrodite — the ancient divinity of love and lust — that helped him find his path back to his lover. The sailor learned that his lover had been hit by a rock whilst falling overboard and was in an unawakened state of limbo, resting on the shores of the River Styx at the gates of the underworld.
In Waterways and Fisheries we are introduced to Sunflower’s deepest and most intimate thoughts, as well as his reflections on the questions of youth and desire and how these two notions can easily become intertwined. Much like a diary of adolescence, this selection of poems serves as an ode to all manifestations of lust and love and paints an overall picture of a homosexual arousing. In this fashion, superstars on posters on a teenage boy’s room walls gain life and become the protagonists of this mystical, dreamy adventure.
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ALL ARTWORKS ARE ORIGINAL CREATIONS.
© 2024 JOÃO DELFIM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL ARTWORKS ARE ORIGINAL CREATIONS.
© 2024 JOÃO DELFIM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.