Exploring the Power of Memory Through Art at Bohío Creative Gallery

'The Love we Made' by Zélia Évora

There’s a quote by Toni Morrison that has stayed with me for quite sometime: “Memory is a form of willed creation.” I return to it often, especially when I find myself wrestling with my own memories—the ones that light me up with joy and the ones that sting when they surface. That tension, that complexity, is what inspired me to create Exploring Memory, the next exhibit at Bohío Creative.

This show has been brewing in me for a while. I wanted to know: how do others carry memory? How do they make sense of their past, and how does that shape the way they move through the life? The result is an incredibly personal and diverse collection of work that offers a window into how memory forms us, breaks us open, and helps us reach for connection.

Some works are tender, others are vibrant and loud, and some soft and reflective. But all of them speak to that deep desire to remember—and to be remembered. I'm truly moved by the artists featured in Exploring Memory. Each one answered this invitation with vulnerability and depth. Their works span generations, countries, mediums, and perspectives—but all of them reflect on memory as something alive and dynamic.

A Tapestry of Memory: Artist Perspectives

For Orly Shemesh, this exhibit prompted a powerful internal process:“What are we without our memories? Could I create without them?” she writes. “It also took me to a journey into the past, where memories reside after all, only to discover, that I can only experience them in the present moment… by the act of my will but also unwillingly and unexpectedly.” Her sculptures hold the weight of shifting memories—“from pleasure and goodness into memories of pain and suffering”—and speak to the richness they bring to the creative act.

Poetics in Abstract by Patrícia Reis

Patrícia Reis describes her paintings as “a dive into stories, journeys and memories transformed into vibrant colors and experimental narratives tinged with colors that scream and whisper at the same time.” Her layered materials create textures that bear the mark of experience and the lightness of a dream, offering a sensory map of memory where time dissolves.

Emma Inman’s ceramic figures hold both personal and collective narratives. “My work is an exploration of memory, heritage, and resilience,” she shares. “Each figure embodies a deeply personal yet universal narrative – capturing moments of joy, endurance, and self-expression.” Her textures and patterns reflect a pursuit of belonging, shaped by a history that is both known and unknowable: “Lost languages and forgotten rituals echo just beneath the surface, shaping identity in ways that are both seen and unseen.”

Anne Luisenbach brings a poetic honesty to her work, drawn from “life itself— encounters, thoughts, dreams, and the emotions that come with being human.” Her figures are studies in vulnerability, exploring “the fear we face, and the resilience we find.” Each piece is both a personal expression and an invitation for reflection.

And Maggie Parnell invites us into the realm of intuitive memory, where time and meaning are fluid and personal. “I’m often surprised how when painting intuitively I find I have engaged memories both real and imagined effortlessly,” she says. Her works ask: “What sparks a memory? Could there even be future memories?” Through layers of paint, collage, and texture, her pieces offer space for contemplation—a place where the viewer's memory and imagination take part in the story.

Come Closer by Maggie Parnell

Each artist’s approach is different, but together, they offer a beautifully layered experience of what it means to remember.

I would love for you to join me in celebrating the opening of Exploring Memory on Saturday, May 3, from 5–8pm at Bohío Creative in Caldas da Rainha. The exhibit will run through June 21, and every piece is available for purchase (with delivery after the show closes).