Correio dos Açores – How and when did you develop the idea to create the collective?
CARA LAVADA – The CARA LAVADA collective was born in 2020. Still, in the summer of 2019, António Nesil and Filipa Alves Fonseca met and discussed the possibility while guarding an exhibition at the Walk&Talk festival. Basically, the collective was born out of a feeling of a lack of space for young voices, especially in the arts. We felt that many young people wanted to do many things and that the reception and support of the existing structures fell short of the talent and potential of those who were here or were from here. That’s where CARA LAVADA was born, and it’s out of a desire to create a sustainable network of work with these artists that we’re building our path. We believe that our voice should and must be heard if the future is also ours.

Who are the members? What are their areas of interest?
Four people currently comprise the collective: António Nesil, Beatriz Silva Lavouras, Daniela Sousa Medeiros, and Rui Filipe Sousa. We like to think of our projects from a multidisciplinary perspective, where we can draw references and ways of working from different areas of art. From the performing arts to curatorship, production, film, and audiovisual, anything that allows us to cross fields, experiment, learn, or work with new people appeals to us. We want to bring this dialog to what we do and present.

What influences and inspirations do you consider fundamental to the artistic creation process?
First, we think it’s crucial to know and understand what is being done in the Azores Archipelago – from the traditional to the more contemporary and who the people are carrying out these projects. Then comes the dialog with artists and cultural agents. Crossing all this material with our own personal references creates a fertile space for reflection, where we naturally build our creative constellations. We can say that our work takes on a sensitive, human, and convenient aspect because almost all of our innovative processes were conceived in this way, and this is how we like to compose them – in proximity and sharing with those we work with.

The collective was strongly present at the centenary commemorations of Natália Correia. Can you tell us a little about your contribution?
The Natália Correia Centenary Commemorations was a vibrant project. It was conceived through a collaboration between CARA LAVADA and O Colectivo. In three years, we worked with more than three dozen artists from different generations and various institutions on the island of São Miguel. It was essential for us to think beyond “who was Natália” and to reflect, through our contemporary spirit, on her legacy and the possibilities of freedom that it continues to equate. As a result, a hybrid fabric of works emerged, ranging from the visual arts, such as the exhibition “As que Cantavam Deixava-las Fugir,” and urban art to literature, with “Venérea – Antologia de Poesia Erótica e Satírica,” and cinema, with “Mátria,” which premiered at IndieLisboa and went on to travel to other countries such as the USA, Argentina and France, and continues to be present at Portuguese film festivals.

What is your opinion of the current cultural scene in São Miguel?
There have indeed been some exciting movements with immense potential in the Azorean cultural scene, but they are still somewhat isolated. Although there is already some awareness of the need to stop being islands within islands, and there is more and more positive mutual help, there is still a long way to go regarding cohesion and coexistence between cultural agents. In this sense, we believe that the work that, for example, MOVA – Movimento pela Cultura Açores (Movement for Azorean Culture) is doing is highly pertinent and should serve as an example to this and the next generations of cultural agents. In addition, there is the significant burden of a lack of support, especially for young artists and programmers, but we all know this problem well and have certainly felt it ourselves.

What work have you been doing recently? What goals do you want to achieve soon?
We believe that next year will be very rich in terms of projects. We’re having the opportunity to dive deeper and, with more time, into some issues we’ve wanted to work on. Between curating and creating an original project, we’re exploring very different fields of art. Shortly, CARA LAVADA will officially become an association, making applying for grants and access support easier. We believe good things are coming!

Finally, why the name “CARA LAVADA”?
We at CARA LAVADA are particularly fond of idiomatic expressions in Portuguese and like to reflect on the meaning of words and how poetic they can sometimes be. When “cara lavada” was put on the table, it seemed to us that it translated, almost completely, what we wanted to do with the collective, that is, to express ourselves in an honest, direct way, without artifice, and without masks, assuming that we are young and that we have a lot to learn, but also that we have different and reformulated visions of what we would like to see and do and that we want to be true to what we believe in.

Final considerations
Investing in culture and art in the region’s cultural agents and artists is essential. Culture can also be one of our “ex-libris,” so it is an invitation to visit our islands. Finally, it is necessary to establish a solid future for young Azorean talent, and CARA LAVADA will always be a constant in building that future.

José Henrique Andrade is a journalist for the Correio dos Açores newspaper-Natalino Viveiros, director.

Cara Lavada-Portuguese for Washed Face.

We thank the Luso-American Education Foundation for supporting PBBI-Fresno State, including this platform.