This week in the MEET THE COLLECTOR series we present Joao Mouzinho, dentist at Molar Clinic. Since he was a child, João Mouzinho had a great love for health,the fruit of a family linked to medicine. With great effort, he became a dentist and in 2014, he opened his own Molar Clinic. In addition to his passion for medicine, he is a big fan of art, especially contemporary art. This admiration grew on the street, more precisely thanks to national and international artists who exhibit free of charge in public spaces. meet the collection of Joao Mouzinho here.
Tell us how this admiration for Art began.
My admiration for art started at a very young age, but in an unconventional way. I've never been passionate about galleries, or "paid" exhibitions of artists, but what I've always been passionate about is the way some artists exhibit for free in a public way, of course I'm referring much more to urban art, which was perhaps my first passion. I always loved discovering new cities, and the first thing I looked for in my travels were cities where art was on the streets. Just think of Barcelona, which we immediately think that we can discover various forms of art, wandering through its streets. Therefore, if you ask me where my next trip will be, I will definitely answer that I will look for a city where art breathes!
As a good connoisseur, I like to surround myself with great artists, especially if they are Portuguese! Can you choose an exhibition that made a significant impression on you?
Regarding the exhibition that I loved the most, I have many in mind, but the best memories I have were getting to know the places where authors produce their works.. I remember as if it were today, seeing, for example, the master João Cutileiro in his atelier / house in Évora, working the stone as if it were something enchanted. Impressive how it is possible to work on a stone, and transform it into something so beautiful and timeless. Whenever I look at a sculpture that I have produced by him of a tree in Marble, I remember the smell of cutting the stone in his atelier. What good memories! I still remember that whenever I visited him, he would ask me to bring him Dental Medicine drills, so that he could create his small sculptures in Stone... What beautiful memories I have of Mestre.
What are your favorite artists? What is your favorite artistic movement?
My favorite artistic movement is urban art, and my two references are Bordalo II and the Vhils, each one for different situations... TheBordalo II for the ability it has to take wasted materials, which contaminate the planet, and to transform it into animals that represent the best that the planet can keep .. It is clearly the demonstration of a cry of revolt, for the destruction of the planet. my passion for Vhils comes from childhood and my taste for sculpture, 3D, transforming something 2D into a movement, a face, a memory. I am sure that many connoisseurs of Vhils, appreciate the way in which an explosion or a pneumatic hammer transforms a wall into a face, into an image, into a memory. Another artist I appreciate is Joana Vasconcelos, and I'm totally in love with the way he "protects" and transforms a work by Bordalo Pinheiro, which brings back so many memories of my grandparents' house. Who knew that a Bordalo Pinheiro piece could be protected with something as sensitive as crochet. In other words, joining something as typical and representative of the strength and culture of women in Portugal as crocheting, protecting a piece of ceramics, so fragile, that it creates so many memories in Portuguese families.
What is your perception of the state of the art in Portugal? What are the themes that should be more debated in the art world?
Regarding the state of the art in Portugal, I think it's fine and recommended. For some reason I only have works by Portuguese artists, because for me, in addition to Portuguese artists, they are citizens of the world, who raise the name of Portugal internationally. Just think that some of our best artists exhibit in the biggest galleries and museums abroad. I don't believe that the themes of art have to be more or less debated, I think that the government and the Ministry of Culture should help raise the name of these artists abroad. If they looked at art the way they look at football, we would surely have the best artists in the world with the Portuguese flag.
What are the cultural events you most look forward to visiting in 2022?
I'm not looking for any event in 2022, I'm looking to meet more artists, the way they work, what inspires them, and to see their day to day work live. If you ask me my wishes for the next few years, it's certainly to be with the best artists in the world.
In recent years we have witnessed a paradigm shift, with the art world becoming increasingly digital. Online sales have been growing exponentially, and recently, Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) appeared, the great novelty of the art world.What are your perspectives regarding the online market and NFTs?
The online marketplace and NFT's they are no longer the future, they are the present! Anyone who thinks otherwise is sadly mistaken. Now I think there are two ways of looking at art. Physical art is for lovers like me, who like to see art, touch art, smell art. The online world is for dreamers, and in my view, much more a form of business than passion, that is, the online world in my view, was made to be sold, exchanged, earn and lose money.. Physical art is much more than that... It's the pleasure of going out on the street and seeing a beautiful piece of work that impacts our senses... As you've already noticed, I'm much more into the carnal pleasure of art, than the business world of online and NFT's . If you ask me if my next work will be physical, I am absolutely sure yes!
He has been collecting art pieces for some time now. What is your favorite work in your collection?
I already collect art, since I became a Dentist. All my savings had a purpose, namely to be able to have artists in my house. But if you ask me if I have a favorite, I don't... I like to go into the house and breathe the art of Bordalo II, Vhils, Joana Vasconcelos, but I can't have any favorites. For me, art is like children, we love everyone equally without having favorites, everyone tells us something, and everyone has something special!
If you had the possibility to choose a work of art for your personal collection, what would it be?
Here I will be contradictory, but I would choose a foreigner. It would undoubtedly be an original banksy, because for me it is the world reference of the art that I am passionate about, urban art, made publicly, so that everyone can appreciate it. Yes, it's not Portuguese, but it would open up a little space for your work!
