Teresa Freitas

12 Hours of Daylight (in Korea)

An exquisite new series of work from Teresa Freitas. She creates dreamy, cinematic images permeated by a sense of calmness and happiness. Her use of colour transforms reality into a a semi-fictional, sometimes surreal state.

In early 2022, Teresa’s first solo exhibition opened in downtown Seoul. 80 artworks were shipped from Europe to this huge exhibition, which was months in organising. The Korean audience were spellbound by her work, but despite the thousands of visitors to the show, it looked like Teresa herself might not be able to visit due to Korea’s strict Covid regulations. Finally, towards the very end of the exhibition period, she got her wish and travelled to Seoul to see her first solo show in person. During spring, her favourite season.

These images are from that time - a gorgeous combination of excitement, fulfilment and a gentle responsiveness to a very different place and culture.

“Do you see the world in pastels?”

“No, but I imagine it”

‘The visible secret behind my work lies in how colour can transport us to a subtle change of reality. I’m an active student and seeker of anything colour. 

You will see both bold and pastel hues in the same image - a visual paradox that our minds aren’t used to and a play on colour that is very interesting to me as an artist. Beyond that paradox is a sense of calm and happiness that continually permeates my work. The viewer’s emotions and intellect are engaged just as much as their eyes and their aesthetic response. 

My photography is intuitive, and not analytical. I shoot whatever my eyes are drawn to. The edit however is intentional and technical, so that “certain way” comes afterwards. 

In my ongoing Cinematica series I document places around the world and then transform them through my colour-work. While the places in my photographs exist, at the same time there is something a little bit "off" about them. I like to pick up on something that has a familiar aesthetic, like palm trees in Palm Springs, a Chinatown street, spring blossoms in Seoul - and then turn them into something less tangible and more cinematic. They feel almost amorphous, like they are places that exist in a fantasy world, rather than reality. We wonder if they are true or if we're just inside a dream.’

Subject Matter Art represents Teresa exclusively with fine art exhibitions internationally, and sales of her work.

We work with external curators and exhibition promoters. In the past two years, we've sold Teresa's work into private collections, stylish office spaces and co-curated a vast 80 artwork exhibition in Seoul. We're now working on a second large-scale exhibition and planning how to bring her gorgeous work to as many people as possible.