Ana + Betânia are Ana Cruz and Maria de Betânia (b. 1983).
Our names are Ana Cruz and Maria de Betânia. We were born in 1983 in two small towns in northern Portugal. We began working together on sculptural ceramics back in 2012 in an academic research program on ceramics in the Fine Arts Faculty of Lisbon, and established ourselves as an artist duo in 2015 going by the name ana+betânia.
We are now based in Caldas da Rainha, a city known for its ceramics production both in industry and traditional handcraft.
Our body of work is often influenced by Portuguese popular ceramics, but the concepts and subjects brought up are way far from traditional.
As sculptors, we love high fire bodies, especially stoneware. But we tend to work differently as we learn new techniques and start new projects; we never stay in the same ground for too long, exploring a certain method or style until exhaustion; it is important for us to keep on evolving technically and conceptually, finding new problems and discovering new solutions.
Conceptually, we’d love to propose an analysis of the feminine, using a surreal, humorous language which appeals both to tenderness and brutality. However not “The Feminine” as a somehow intangible political statement, but more like the time-permeable concept of being a woman, visible through the multiple and complex mutations that we suffer involuntary during our existence: that has been the invisible line which connects all our projects through these years.
Education
2002-2008: B.A. and M.F.A. in Painting and Ceramics, Fine Arts Faculty of Lisbon University, PT.
Note
2013 - present: Ana Cruz is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (I.A.C.).
2009 - present: Both Ana and Betânia are art therapists at two mental health institutes in Lisbon.
Contests /Prizes
2017: 1rst Honorable Mention, CERCO, Zargoza, ES.
2014: 1st Prize, 17th Biennial of Esplugues, Barcelona, ES.
2011: Honourable mention, 10th Biennial of Artistic Ceramics, Aveiro, PT. (Maria de Betânia)
2010: Honourable mention, CERCO, Zaragoza, ES. (Ana Cruz)
2009: 3rd Prize, 9th Biennial of Artistic Ceramics, Aveiro, PT. (Ana Cruz)
Residencies
2015: Oficinas da Cerâmica e da Terra (Earth and Ceramics Center), Montemor-o-Novo, PT.
2014: Oficinas do Convento, Montemor-o-Novo, PT.
2012: “Muel Ceramics Alive” (residency and scholarship) at Escuela-Taller de Cerámica de Muel - with Rafa Perez and Miguel Molet -, Zaragoza, ES.
Artist Talks
2018:"Entre Falas", Faculty of Fine Arts, Lisbon, PT.
2015: Iberian Residency of Ceramics, National Tile Museum, Lisbon, PT.
Solo shows
2021: “TERRA”, Carrasco Gallery, Madrid, ES.
2020: “WILD FIRE”, UNDERDOGS Gallery Capsule, Lisbon, PT.
2018: "M A T E R", FOCO Gallery, Lisbon, PT.
2017: “Flesh Flowers”, Antonia Puyo Gallery, Zaragoza, ES.
2016: “Entre Folhos”, Council Gallery, Montemor-o-Novo, PT.
2015: “Femina”, Associação Abraço, Lisbon, PT.
Group Shows and Art Fairs
2021: VOLTA art fair, with Carrasco Gallery, Basel, CH.
ESTAMPA art fair, with Carrasco Gallery, Madrid, ES.
2019: “Invisible Thread” - Contemporary Art : Portugal and China, Macao, União das Cidades Capitais de Língua Portuguesa, Lisbon, PT.
Istanbul Contemporary art fair, with FOCO Gallery, Istanbul, TR.
“GENESIS”, FOCO Gallery, Lisbon, PT.
JustMAD art fair, with Antonia Puyó Gallery, Madrid, ES.
2018: “Sculpture and Ceramics Show”, Royal Opera Arcade Gallery, London, UK.
"Âmago", Bang Bang Gallery, Lisbon, PT.
2017: CERCO, Zaragoza, ES.
13th Biennial of Artistic Ceramics, Aveiro, PT
"Ouro sobre Azul", Jardins Efémeros, Viseu, PT.
“Manas das Caldas”, Caldas Late Night, Caldas da Rainha, PT.
2016: “Contemporary Ceramics”, Quartel Gallery, Abrantes, PT.
2015: “Barreiro Rocks” Music Festival, Barreiro, PT.
2015: 12th Biennial of Artistic Ceramics, Aveiro, PT.
2015: “Artistes Premisats”, Potters Association of Catalonia Gallery, Barcelona, ES.
2015: “Carmo is a womanly name”, Carmo’81 Gallery , Viseu, PT.
2015: “11”, Abraço Gallery, Lisbon, PT.
2014: “Give it a shot” (happening), Montemor-o-Novo, PT.
2013: “Face to Face: Portugal and China”, Fine Arts Faculty Gallery and Foyer of Lisbon University Rectorate, Lisbon, PT.
2012: “Virgin Capital” (happening), Muel, ES.
2012: “Museum-Kampus”, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Lisbon, PT.