Mask (2)

A wild clay mask where the bizarre hides in plain sight.

Well, who doesn't hide behind something?

From her workshop in Leiria (Estremadura, Portugal), Andreia Pinho takes refuge from humankind to explore its most bizarre and grotesque side through wild clay.

Wild clay means she doesn't just buy her raw material or order it online. She harvests it by hand like a hidden gem in the seven corners of Portugal, venturing into secret spots we never dreamed existed.

Andreia chose wild clay for the plasticity of the pastes, its three-dimensional possibilities, and the desire to collect and make her own pigments. She is passionate about the process, like all experimentalists: malleability means freedom, a creative act with organic texture. It's wonderful to watch her sculpt.

The result is a curious inversion of how we live our lives: the devilish inner revelers are masks to wear on the outside, to keep our balanced and well-behaved features in the background. Let's suppress normalcy, shall we be bizarre?