The exhibition of drawings by Álvaro Siza and drawings by his late wife Maria Antónia Siza will open on Saturday, 11 of June 2016, in Oris House of Architecture at 7 p. m.

Álvaro Siza is one of the main protagonists of today’s architecture scene who will have his project for a chapel realized soon in Croatia. The exhibition is the result of a lasting cooperation and friendship between this architect and Oris, enabled by the sponsorship of the Embassy of Portugal here in Zagreb as a part of their celebration of the Day of Portugal.

The uniqueness of the exhibition lies in the fact that, in addition to the works of Álvaro Siza, the visitors will be able to see, side by side, the works of his late wife Maria Antónia Siza. 

For Álvaro Siza, the drawing is from the very beginnings the irreplaceable part of his not only professional, but private life as well. He uses the drawing when he is thinking about architecture, developing ideas, when he conducts projects, and remembers life events. The drawing is, for him, the fastest way to communicate – with oneself and with the others, an idea that enables the continuation of projects.

The series that will be on view in Oris House of Architecture in June this year refers to Siza’s work in the Marian sanctuary in Fátima, Portugal. The new pilgrim church of the Holy Trinity was built in 2007 according to the designs of the Greek architect Alexander Tombazis, and Siza was the one in charge of the mural design, dedicated to the life of Saint Peter and Paul.

The drawings of Álvaro Siza show religiousness as a theatre of humanity. This dramatic story about the social disorders and hopes can serve to him (and to us) as a mirror. But, in order to stay faithful to the humane, in between the lines, we can discern a definite and pulsating enigma. 
José Tolentino Mendonça, from the catalogue of the exhibition

In Zagreb, the series of templates that were the basis for this monumental mural will be presented, the one that once again confirms Siza’s distinctive manner, simple, precise, well thought-out and expressive.

On the other hand, the work of his wife, though stylistically similar, is in content entirely different. In her works, Maria Antónia Siza entered the sphere of imagination, grotesque, sometimes even at the margins of propriety.

Maria Antónia Siza developed her own vocabulary and by doing it, she did not exclude the possibility of a type of mannerism. Similar characters in similar constellations often reappear fostering the suggestion of thematic units. We cannot avoid recognizing the kinship with the theatre – the characters of those dramatic scenes are often costumed, and the gesture seems to be led by the instructions of an invisible stage director.
Vera Grimmer, from the catalogue of the exhibition

The exhibition in Oris House of architecture will be on view till the end of summer. 

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