“(A)braços com o Mar” (Embracing the Sea)
The artwork that evokes the shipyards and the sea life of the fishing community of Esposende, “(A)braços com o Mar” (Embracing the Sea), by Luís Canário Rocha, is part of the “Amar o Minho” artistic residency program. This piece complements the urban art project that the Municipality of Esposende has implemented along the city's waterfront—under the “Esposende SmartCity” project—which will extend to the future City Park. The artwork depicts the backdrop of the Cávado estuary view and aims to highlight the values of the people of Esposende.
Esposende is a place that has a deep connection with the sea, which plays an essential role in the culture of its people. The sea is a defining identity and a shared heritage. In this public space artwork, Luís Canário Rocha, an artist trained at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Porto, with a professional career dedicated to plastic and visual arts, as well as performing and stage arts, showcases his expressive versatility. The work combines both more and less figurative expressionisms, more and less abstract, in a play of shapes and patterns that transport us to the vessel of his imagination. The foundation of his work draws from the planimetry of the sandbar, the meeting point of the river and the sea, which dissolves into a vast blue that the artist created, inspired by the local atmosphere. It is a unique blue that pays homage to the location. The artwork is positioned at a city entrance, welcoming those who arrive and inviting them to stay.
This work is part of the Amar o Minho artistic residency program, promoted by the Minho In consortium, made up of the 24 municipalities represented by the intermunicipal communities of Cávado, Ave, and Alto Minho.
Geolocalisation: 41°31'33.5"N 8°46'37.3"W
Address: Avenida Eng. Eduardo Arantes e Oliveira
