Exhibition | Tomas Monteiro: Chain of Memories

Tomas Monteiro is a ceramic artist based in Belfast. His practice examines the exploration of personal experience and his identity as a queer person. He approaches work as a syncretic experience of his life and expressions of his interests. He works with processes of mould-making, performance, sculpture, installation, and grounds his practice in ceramics. His recent work traverses the experience of a young queer artist who is self-examining ideas of queerness alongside simultaneously trying to make sense of personal traumatic experiences he has experienced as a young queer artist including mental, physical and sexual abuse.

Show Biography 

This show explores themes of connection in the context of the mind and queer living and sexuality. By way of ceramics, the show explores sexuality and love through the queer lens, questioning how connections occur and how queer people create and live with their chosen family. Central to this show is the idea that experiences create inter-personal links and these links become a chain; as the chain gets larger it creates weaknesses.

“When I started to think about this show I wanted it to represent my mind and how we connect and choose our family and create connections. Using ceramics, audio, and elements of multidisciplinary practice I was able to create this show to represent different experiences on how queer people surpass and connect through different stories and experiences.” - Tomas Monteiro