The Parideira

A clay sculpture that is an absolute act of creation.

The idea that humanity was born from clay is present in many ancient myths and religions, from Mesopotamian, Greek and Chinese mythologies, to Ancient Egypt, to Christianity, among others. Whether we are religious or not, it seems to us a poetic and powerful metaphor.

This clay sculpture is called Parideira and is a tribute to the act of birth. The birth of flesh, certainly, but we can also see it as the birth of an idea or a feeling. Like any great work of art, it will say different things to different people at different times in their lives. Clay and soul, soul and clay. From Barcelos (Minho, Portugal).

The master potter António Ramalho is the great-grandson of Rosa Ramalho, one of the most popular Portuguese potters to this day, having shaped the popular clay figures of Barcelos throughout the 20th century, which left António with a conscious need to distance himself a little from his legacy and create something exclusively his own.

Despite the religious tradition of the figures, António is more inclined towards the profane. And he makes us adore the bizarre. Isn't life bizarre, now and then? Aren't humans bizarre here and there? The liquid colours and vitreous texture have become some of his most distinctive trademarks.

Parideira, an absolute act of creation.

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