Artist couple Tara and Sylvain Bongard will be displaying their sculptures at Forte Ponta da Bandeira (Lagos Fortress) between Saturday, August 31 and December 28.
Entitled ‘Século dos Mares’ (Century of the Seas), the exhibition will showcase the couple’s stoneware sculptures which are inspired by the “marine world and its symbiosis with human beings”.
The couple met in 2008 and started working on their art together. They have a studio in Ferragudo and their creations are usually linked to the maritime fauna and flora of the Algarve. Pollution and human neglect are only some of the themes that Tara and Sylvain touch upon.
Lagos council describes the exhibition as the “culmination of years of hardwork which aims to explore the union between humans and seas in the many representations of the marine world”.
Their sculptures aim to “highlight the endless originality and surprising beauty of marine animals, many of which are facing mass extinction” and, at the same time, “raise awareness and inspire people to think about the imminent threat of pollution”.
Sylvain Bongard was born in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1959 and moved to Portugal in 1970, only to later leave for four years to complete his studies abroad. He permanently returned to the Algarve in 1980 and pursued his dream to become a full-time artist.
Tara Bongard was born in 1970 in London. With Anglo-Portuguese roots, she spent her childhood between England and Portugal, finalising her studies in England. After travelling all over the world, she returned to live permanently in Portugal in 2005.
The exhibition will be on display Tuesday to Sunday, between 9.30am and 12.30pm and 2pm and 5pm. Admission costs €3 or €1.50 for holders of a European Youth Card and people aged over 65.
