Beach art
The Beach Art photos are from an anonymous local resident of Comporta who has been assembling these beach art ’sculptures’ for over ten years now. Some have lasted only months, while some have remained in place for nearly two years.
The artist goes by the name of 'Beach Art Man'. His sculptures are generally located south of the Comporta beach towards Brejos. Every element in the assembly comes directly off the beach. Some have lasted only months, while some have remained in place for nearly two years. They get destroyed by actions of both nature and man. Some have been painted ('Red & Green’ - the colours of Portugal and 'Blue & White’ for Comporta), while some remain in their raw state. Other local residents have been known to occasionally contribute and add pieces to the sculptures as they grow.
One critic has talked about how these pieces "represent the inherent juxtaposition and tension between man and nature, land & sea, and the creative and destructive forces that exist all around us”. Beach Art Man has said he “can get bored on the beach and needs to be occupied". Furthermore, he claims to "provide a small public service by collecting beach garbage”.
Beach Art Man was exhibited in the Comporta Casa da Cultura in 2019 and the photos are in various private collections in New York, London, Stockholm and Comporta!
Please ask at Reception if interested. Limited editions photos can be bought for:
250€ each without frame
350€ each with frame
(Delivery costs not included. AlmaLusa Comporta donates 15% of its net revenues to the Herdade da Comporta Foundation, a local charity that helps alleviate hardships and needs in the surrounding area.)
Pullman Editions | Comporta
AlmaLusa Comporta commissioned this unique ‘Comporta Travel Poster’ (presented above) from the Pullman Gallery, London which was executed by the well-known artist Charles Avalon. Pullman Editions create Art Deco inspired striking posters of glamorous destinations from around the world.
The ‘Comporta’ image in the Lobby (and The RoofTop Bar) was created specially for us. A limited edition of 200 high quality cotton fine art paper lithographs (97cm x 64cm) is available through the London gallery or AlmaLusa Comporta Reception.
Price of 400€ per piece
(Delivery costs not included.)
Local Characters
Celebrated Portuguese photographer/designer João Trindade, spent a number of days in late summer of 2022 with the Comporta community, getting to know some locals and asking them if they wanted to be part of our evolving story.
The resulting and very striking portraits of various members of our neighbourhood show the pride and pleasure derived from being part of this photographic record. The pictures showcase the characters and their faces deeply rooted both in local rice farming, as well as the fishing industries, both local disciplines requiring determination and endurance, month after month, year in, year out.
Please ask Reception if interested in purchasing any of these limited edition photographs. The illustrations created are also for sale.
70cm x 100cm | 250€
(Delivery costs not included. AlmaLusa Comporta donates 15% of its net revenues to the Herdade da Comporta Foundation, a local charity that helps alleviate the hardships and needs of the area)
António
About 2 meters tall, António Conceição is the tallest man in the village. He worked as a rice farmer...
Benilde
Benilde Severino worked in the rice plantation at Herdade da Comporta, where she performed...
Bia & António
Bia Russo worked at Herdade da Comporta. She was in charge of planting, weeding and harvesting rice, when...
Cidália & Cândido
Cidália Nunes performed multiple functions at Herdade da Comporta. Later, she started crab fishing with her husband...
Ermelindo
Ermelindo Nunes was a tractor driver in the Comporta region and became a professional gardener later on. He is now the owner of...
Gualdina
Gualdina was the person in charge of bringing water to all the workers at Herdade da Comporta. Later, she became...
João
João Batista was, for a long time, an officer of the National Republican Guard (GNR). At 55 years old, he retired from the GNR and started to...
"Commissioned by the newly-opened AlmaLusa Comporta hotel, I had the privilege to explore the heart of what makes Comporta distinctive for its essence of "Tranquilidade" - its people. For this photo shoot, with the help of a local contact in the area, we selected subjects that would best represent the traditional farming and fishing heritage, simplicity, and unique authenticity that the Comporta region has to offer.
The subjects, which included a small farmer, a fisherman couple, a rice farmer, a street-side fruit vendor, and a group of old rice planters, were both enthusiastic and proud to represent their region. The salt and sun of Comporta clearly marked their skin, radiating warmth and kindness from the laugh lines in their faces. One can almost see their lives by looking at their faces and their hands. How they were uniquely shaped by the life they had.
As is the Portuguese way, the hospitality we were shown during our time there made us feel right at home, with families welcoming us as one of their own."
João Trindade
