Opening 30 April at the Palácio Gama Lobo in Loulé, ceramic artist Catarina Gonçalves presents Fragmentos de Memória (Traces of Memory), a solo exhibition exploring the intersection of natural erosion, intuitive form, and the quiet rituals of stoneware.

The exhibition features the artist’s Erosion series, a body of work inspired by the slow, transformative power of time. Rejecting industrial repetition, Gonçalves’ practice honours the unrepeatable detail, resulting in sculptural and utilitarian forms that carry their own sense of presence and story.

Connecting to the landscape

In the main room, the work connects to the landscape — its rhythm, movement, and the shapes of the coastline. Seixo draws on the familiarity of river stones, with smooth, hand-sized forms that feel quiet and continuous. Wheel of Wonders moves away from the symmetry of the potter’s wheel, breaking and rebuilding it into more sculptural forms. In Erosion, the surfaces become rougher and more marked, carrying traces of water and wind, as if shaped over time by natural forces.

Together, these works move from control towards something more unpredictable.

The second space is quieter and more inward. In Motherhood, there’s a tension between rigid, structured forms and softer, more fluid elements. Submerged presents rounded forms that feel altered by time, as if they’ve been shaped beneath the surface. In Incision and the Iron Studies, the gesture becomes more direct — surfaces are cut and marked, revealing something rawer and more exposed.

Exhibition Details:

• Title: Fragmentos de Memória (Traces of Memory)

• Artist: Catarina Gonçalves

• Location: Galeria do Palácio Gama Lobo, Loulé

• Opening Reception: April 30, 2026, at 18:00

• Dates: April 30 – July 4

• Hours: Monday to Saturday, 09:00 – 18:00 (Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays)