A Leap in Time

Exhibition by Cristina Rodrigues

Production photos and photos of the artwork installed at the Côa Museum ©Marco Longo

Exhibition

A Leap in Time

Time is a dimension invented by humanity to explain a phenomenon of which we are merely spectators. We cannot influence it, subject it to our desires. History and Archaeology are disciplines that allow humanity to travel through time to learn about the habits of its ancestors and, with this knowledge, establish a relationship between the past and the present, in order to build a consequential and informed future.

Vila Nova de Foz Côa, is more than just a place, it is a wormhole that allows us to travel through history, engulfing us in an open-air gallery with over 1000 rocks bearing rock art, identified in more than 80 distinct sites, with predominantly Paleolithic engravings dating back approximately 30,000 years.

In the words of Côa Park Foundation’s President, Dr. João Paulo Sousa,

From the Paleolithic to Post-modernity. From lucid and curved art to the artistic post-production of the instant of eternity and perfection. Paleolithic art, as a magical, abstract ritual, is the whisper of the soul in the colors, forms, and melodies of post-modernity.

Just as the Iberian ibex was a central motif in rock art 30 millennia ago, A Leap in Time was conceived as a contemporary representation of the same animal. The creative gesture that Man exercised when inscribing it in stone inspired Cristina Rodrigues to depict a set of 24 iron goats in the landscape. In the past, the forms of this animal were engraved in two dimensions. In the present, the forms are three-dimensional and recorded through sculptures, in different positions and movements. A total of 24 Iberian ibexes, one for each hour of the day. Time, represented within the always punctual vehicle, History.

In the words of archaeologist Dalila Correia:

More than an ancestral legacy, the Côa Valley is a territory of continuous creation. An uninterrupted line between what we were, what we are, and the path we can follow. A Leap in Time, by the artist Cristina Rodrigues, is more than a contemporary art installation; it is the continuation of a creative impulse with 30,000 years of human history in the Côa Valley. Each mark engraved at Côa reminds us: what we create today can transcend time and transform tomorrow.

The Côa Valley was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998. UNESCO recognizes creativity as an important resource that generates economic benefits and improves the quality of life in societies. Therefore, art plays a fundamental role in promoting creativity, knowledge sharing, and cultural diversity.

Biographical Note

Portuguese artist Cristina Rodrigues was born in 1980 in Porto, where she studied and began her professional career as an architect, later moving to Lisbon and then the Algarve. In 2009 she moved to Manchester, United Kingdom, where she was a lecturer and researcher at the Manchester School of Art, of the Manchester Metropolitan University (2010 – 2015).

Cristina holds a PhD in Art & Design from Manchester School of Art (2016), an M. Phil in Medieval and Renaissance History from the University of Porto (2007) and a Honours Degree in Architecture from Lusíada University (2004).

Her art work has been exhibited internationally, in Europe, Asia and South America, with several solo exhibitions. These include Blossom (2023), at AP’ARTE Galery, Porto; Mordomas (2022), at Caminha Municipal Museum; Cry of the High Tide (2021), at the Gardens of Jeronimos Monastery, Lisbon; at the Wharf of the Royal Customs, Vila do Conde; at the Monastery of Santo de Ancede, Baião; and outside the Ermesinde Cultural Forum; Crossing (2020), at Centro de Cultura Contemporânea, Castelo Branco; Home is the Cathedral of Life (2019), at MATADERO, Madrid, Spain; The Horizon (2019), at Quinta da Cruz – Centro de Arte Comtemporânea, Viseu, Portugal; Echoes of the Sea (2018), at The Hillside Forum, Tokyo, Japan; The Shroud (2017/2018), at MATADERO, Madrid, Spain; The Kingdom of Heaven (2017), at Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, United Kingdom; A Retrospective (2017), at Centro de Cultura Contemporânea, Castelo Branco, Portugal; The Shroud, at Colombo Art Biennale 2016, in the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour, Colombo, Sri Lanka; and La Pasión (2016), a monumental exhibition installed at five of the most iconic monuments in the city of Seville, Spain: Fundación Valentín de Madariaga y Oya, Portuguese Pavilion, Universidad de Sevilla, Casa de la Provincia and Real Alcázar de Sevilla.

Several of Cristina’s works have been acquired for the art collections of museums and public entities, namely Manchester Cathedral and the Cheshire East Council, in the UK; Cultura Madrid (Ayuntamiento de Madrid) and Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), Spain; Municipal Museum Amadeo Souza-Cardoso, Cascais Municipality, Castelo Branco Municipality, Viseu Municipality; Vila do Conde Municipality, Valongo Municipality, Baião Municipality, Caminha Municipality and the Portuguese State. More recently, Memories of the Sea, comprising three installations suspended from the ceiling, was commissioned by the Dutch group VIA Outlets and is on permanent display at Vila do Conde Porto Fashion Outlet since April 2021. The author also produced public works for corporate clients, such as: Licor Beirão (J. Carranca Redondo, Lda.), Ferreira de Sá Rugs, FLY London (Kyaia), Vila do Conde Porto Fashion Outlets (VIA Outlets), ASCENDI, SPV – Sociedade Ponto Verde and COFINA.

Through her art, Cristina draws imaginary narratives linking her personal journey as a Portuguese woman in a global context to a fantastic world of symbolisms. Each of her art installations is locally inspired yet universal in meaning. As to her audiences, Cristina’s creations can take an international contemporary spectator into a transcultural and transtemporal journey.