O SORRISO DO ACANTO - THE ACANTHUS SMILE

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How does an apparent commonplace in Art History speak to us differently if we approach it from another perspective? 

'The Acanthus Smile' is an artistic research and creation project centred on the acanthus leaf - a recurring botanical motif throughout art history. Sparked by the tension between its idealised, rounded form and the plant's sharp, spiky reality in nature, the project unfolds as an ongoing dialogue between opposites: nature and idealisation, tradition and contemporaneity. It invites reflection on heritage, identity, cultural diversity, and intercultural exchange across the Mediterranean world. The project is acknowledged by the UNESCO Chair on Ethnobotany and Plant Heritage Safeguarding, based at the Polytechnic Institute of Beja.

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