Pregnant Praying Mantis

I like Praying Mantis, they look like creatures from another planet. Tonight I just saved this female from drowning in the rain. She was laying on the sidewalk (12ºC) bearly able to move, and I brought her inside, cleaned the water from her body with a tissue paper, and put her in a box. I hope she will be able to lay her eggs soon. If she does, I´ll take care of the eggs and I´ll watch the little praying mantis when they are born next Spring. My little step-sons and daughters...





This insects are good pest controls in the garden. In the USA you can buy eggs, watch them hatch in June, and release the little insects in the garden. Some people keep mantis as pets, feeding them flyes, aphids and a variety of bugs.

Art to be seen in Porto right now

Isaque Pinheiro at Galeria Presença. Big pieces of Pop art directly from the saw-mill:








Pedro Lucena at Gallery Anemona. You should see this live. The details are awsome:

Street art in Porto

Art for free

Last saturday, 5, in the street Miguel Bombarda, Porto, right in the midle of art gallery district, I saw this painting on a wall by Alexandre Rola. I saw it at around four pm and read the label saying it was for free. I didn´t take it down right away. Some two hours latter (and hundreds of people passing by) it was still there and I decided to bring it home. Thank you Mr. Rola!

Arte Conceptuale Bruta-2

Another project for a radical conceptual exhibition.
The same artist as in the post below anounces an exhibition of his paintings. The guests arriving at the much antecipated opening notice that what is shown on the walls are not paintings but photographs, and they say it to the artist. The artists inicialy denies, but, as the protests mount, eventualy cofesses that those are realy photographs. Things calm down and the public enjoys the art, sipping wine and eating the hors-d´ouvres that were laced with small amounts of castor oil. Cameras placed in the gallery and outside, film as the first guests start to feel the simptoms of constipation and shitting themselves in their pants and dresses.
The artist tries to sell the video to Tate Modern, MOMA, and some other museums of modern art.

Arte Conceptuale Bruta-1

Project for a radical conceptual exhibition.
An artists anounces an exhibition of photographs. On the opening day, people notice those are not photographs on the walls, but paintings, and try to elucidate the mistake. The artist insists, against all evidences and against everybody, that those are realy photographs, not paintings. A big discussion begins with shouts and insults. Eventualy everybody leaves and the exhibition is removed. The artist will mention that exhibition in his curriculum as "photographs". The few people who´ll bother to desagree will only have some inconclusive photos and films, made in the opening night, to suport their claims. It will forever be considered an exhibition of photographs.

Henrique Oliveira

Sculptures and paintings by the brasilian artist Henrique Oliveira. Amazing.

Street art in Covilhã

Lots of recent activity in this town, streetartwise, due to this guys:



VHILS embelished a wall:






There was a german tv crew making a "Making of" film:




Beautiful tiles by Diogo Machado. From a distance they look like tradicional portuguese tiles, but looking closer they show interesting new motives. Click to enlarge:





These walls, painted gold and blue, are near a barroque church:

Discurso de Leonard Cohen en la entrega de los Premios Príncipe de Asturias