Fertile Woman (Parideira)

A clay sculpture that is an absolute act of creation.

The idea that humanity was born from clay features in many ancient myths and religions, from Mesopotamian, Greek, and Chinese mythologies to Ancient Egypt, Christianity, and 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 the 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 tell different things to different people, at different times in their lives. Clay and soul, soul and clay. From Barcelos (Minho, Portugal).

The masterful potter António Ramalho is the great-grandson of Rosa Ramalho, one of the most popular Portuguese potters to this day, who shaped the popular clay figures of Barcelos throughout the 20th century, which left António with a conscious need to distance himself somewhat from his legacy and make 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, every now and then? Aren't humans bizarre here and there? The liquid colours and the vitreous texture have become some of his most singular trademarks.

Parideira, an absolute act of creation.