“These fragments I have shored against my ruins” T.S. Eliot

2024

This series of works were created to be shown at 119 Marvila Studios, an art space based in Lisbon. I worked with different medium moving from drawing to painting and a selection of it was presented at the gallery on September 27, 2024

Below there’s an extract of the exhibition press release:

“Sometimes, reality crumbles with a loud noise. All that remains is to pick up the
pieces and try to reassemble them, hoping for a newer, perhaps better, arrangement.

The works presented in this exhibition are inspired by the artist’s exploration and
long walks through the streets of Marvila, Lisbon, aiming to capture its unique
architectural character and the eclectic spirit of a neighborhood rooted in history
by the presence of its long-time residents, yet simultaneously reaching toward a
future filled with uncertainty for some and promise for others…. Read more…

Like Marvila, destined to lose some of its originality through inevitable change, the
exhibition faced an ironic parallel. Three of the large acrylic paintings were lost during
their shipment from Milan to Lisbon — a sudden blow that also mirrored the
neighborhood’s struggles with transformation and new realities.
From this unforeseen event, the exhibition gained new meaning, and the line
“These fragments I have shored against my ruins”, borrowed from T.S. Eliot’s poem
The Waste Land, resonated deeply with Depedrini. It embodied rebuilding and
moving forward in the face of chaos. With this in mind, Depedrini created two new
works: These Fragments I Have Shored Against My Ruins, which gave the
exhibition its title, and Eight Euros per Kilo, a biting commentary on the absurd
compensation offered by the shipping company for the lost works.
The fragments of paintings and drawings used as part of the creative process
evoke the peeling plaster of Marvila’s facades, its fading colors, and its paved
streets — often chipped and crumbling, preserving the marks of time in both
matter and memory.
Depedrini’s spontaneous painting style often reflects the vibrant, ever-moving
energy of the cities she explores.
“If I were superstitious,” Depedrini says, “I might say that this exhibition carried
the aura of premonition.” Much like Marvila, destined to lose some of its originality
through inevitable change, the exhibition mirrors this ironic parallel — yet
whether this transformation is for the better remains an open question that only
time can answer.
Cristiana Depedrini
Sandra Pires