3+1 Arte Contemporanea is proud to announce the opening of Mode of use, an upcoming exhibition by artist Claire de Santa Coloma.

The sculptural work by the Argentinian artist is concerned with formal questions that focus on the primordiality of matter (usually wood) and the theme of sculpture itself. The economy of means is one of the governing principals in Santa Coloma's practice, oftentimes dictating the final shape of the object. The relationship between the viewer and the sculpture is yet another important layer in the reading of her work. Conceptually, it has been the common thread amongst her latest solo shows. As a result, sensuality and sensoriality are recurring characteristics in the work of Claire de Santa Coloma.

In 2014, the artist presented her exhibition Practical guide for making a basic wooden sculpture, which aimed to educate the public in the process of making. In 2017, her show Pausa guided the spectator towards a more contemplative and circumspect gaze. In Mode of use, Claire de Santa Coloma searches to stimulate other relationships between the public and the artwork. In an attempt to decode the intangibility of the art object, the artist generates ambiguities through the use of domestic materials and scenarios. The room sheet, assumed as a sort of manual, proposes different forms of interaction with the sculptures. Touch and usage are permitted, thus opening new modes of existence for the work of art.

Claire de Santa Coloma (1983, Buenos Aires, Argentina) lives and works in Lisbon. Santa Coloma studied direct carving sculpture at Ateliers Beaux Arts de la ville de Paris. At the same time, she obtained a MA in Visual Arts Research at La Sorbonne, Paris. Between 2007 and 2009 she was artist in residence at Casa de Velazquez, Madrid. Between 2009-2010 she attended the Independent Studies programme at MAUMAUS, in Lisbon, with which she participated in the 29th edition of the sao Paulo Biennial. In 2010, Santa Coloma participated in the residency at La Belle Alliance (Metropole), at Goethe Institute Lisbon. In 2017 she was invited to join the programme of Lisboa Capital de Cultura Ibero Americana with a residency at Corucheus studios and a project for Galeria Quadrum. Also, in 2017, she won the EDP Foundation New Artists Award (Lisbon 2017). Santa Coloma exhibits her work regularly since 2008. Major solo shows include: Chuva, Appleton - Associacao Cultural, Lisbon (2018); Guia Protico para Fazer uma Escultura Basica de Madeira, 3+1 Arte Contemporanea, Lisbon (2014); A escassez nos salvaro da catostrofe, 3+1 Arte Contemporanea, Lisbon (2011) and A Experiencia da Medida, Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa, Lisbon (2010). Group shows include: Modern Collection, Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon (2018); 1000 anos depois entre Venus e Marte, works from the Antonio Cachola Collection, Galeria Municipal do Porto, Porto(2017); EDP Foundation New Artists Award, MAAT, Lisbon (2017) ; Excusa Argumental, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Gaz Natural Fenosa, A Coruna (2015); Buenos Aires Art Biennial, Buenos Aires (2013); Geografia Portotil, MUMU, Cordoba, Argentina (2013). Collections include: Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian, Portugal; Fundacao EDP, Portugal; Banco Supervielle, Argentina; HRH of Luxembourg; Casa de Velazques, Spain; Deutsche Bank, Portugal; Antonio Cachola, Portugal; amongst other private collections in Belgium, France, Germany, Singapore and Argentina.