Drawing by Teresa Esgaio

Drawing occupies a central role in Teresa Esgaio’s work, serving as the medium through which she thinks and feels. More than the materialization of ideas, it is a process of exploration and a response to internal questions that emerge on paper. Using graphite, charcoal, and pastel, she develops a figurative language addressing themes such as memory, identity, the human condition, and the passage of time. Fly depicts an isolated insect that functions as a point of attention in space and time. More than a figure, it is an occurrence that invites contemplation, an interval where the gaze lingers and the suspension of time becomes an experience, questioning the limits of visibility and meaning. Teresa Esgaio has exhibited in Point Zero, Estação Elevatória a Vapor dos Barbadinhos, Museu da Água, Lisbon, (2023); 180 days, Estação Elevatória a Vapor dos Barbadinhos, Museu da Água, Lisbon, (2022); O mar não é redondo, Cordoaria Nacional, Lisbon, (2021) and Contemporâneos Extemporâneos, Galeria Fernando Santos, Porto, (2021). She was shortlisted for The Sovereign Portuguese Art Prize in 2022.