A BAROQUE MODERN AND TROPICAL

Maria Lago sobre o lugar da sua Patuá, em Preciosa, entre arte, memória e o sagrado

I would never define myself as minimalist. I am closer to contemporary baroque than to homes inspired by Scandinavian aesthetic purity. A modern and tropical baroque, because after all I am Brazilian, and in this home Brazil is seen, felt and smelled in every part.

When I moved from New York to Madrid in 2020, I sought a space that I could transform not only into a home, but into a temple of beauty and memory, where art and design coexist in harmony with History. I found a spacious old apartment, beautifully renovated in the center of the city, that met this demand with its original period features and abundant natural light. Here, inherited objects mix with memories of travels through diverse cultures, eccentricities, many books, gifts from artist friends and a shoe collection I don't have the courage to show. Each object has a meaning, a life of its own and a story to tell, and together, in varied colors, textures and shapes, they form a certain accumulation that works as a whole.

Upon receiving my Patuá Bowl, an exclusive piece by OMAMA made in solid Preciosa wood, my eyes lit up at the shape, the color, the texture, the scent and the aesthetic excellence. The scent, in fact, surprises: a discreet note of cinnamon and clove, characteristic of this wood. I couldn't say whether the piece is a multiple of art or of design, but, to me, arriving at this form requires great art and sensibility to listen to and feel the material. I have always loved natural materials like wood and leather, and, growing up in Brazil, we developed this knowledge and taste by being organically immersed in nature. The relationship between nature and the sacred is given to us from childhood.

My Patuá found its place on the vintage glass coffee table with an acrylic base from the 70s, alongside a work in wood by the French-Argentine artist Claire Santa Coloma and another by the Brazilian artist Ivan Grilo. On that same table there is a kind of altar with works in wood from the interior of Bahia, created by different artists and artisans, representing some Orixás. The name Preciosa, incidentally, is not by chance: the bark of this tree was, for centuries, one of the most valuable materials of the Amazon, and the piece seems to carry that memory in the way it settled among my objects of affection. The Preciosa has won a place on my altar-table, further elevating the beauty and the sacredness of this corner of the house.

By Maria Lago
Artist book editor. Founder of FAMILIA EDITIONS