Aurora is a solo exhibition by Mariana Romão, presented in 2018, exploring concrete photography through the chemigram process, a technique that bypasses the camera entirely, creating images through chemical reactions between photographic material and everyday substances. Each piece is unique, a one-of-a-kind artifact born from near-total control over the unpredictable chemistry of the medium.

These images hover on the edge of reality and imagination. They can hint at something familiar or dissolve into their own cosmos, capturing the tension between perception and illusion, order and chaos.

The project began with chemigrams on instant film, where each “drawing” evolves like a moving image during development. Their ephemeral nature demanded digital capture to preserve the moment, transforming fleeting reactions into lasting experiences.

Aurora investigates how materials, light, and chemical reactions can become metaphors for transformation, movement, and the passage of time. The works embrace change rather than mimic reality, creating visual experiences that are at once physical and sensory.

The exhibition was made possible by a prize from EMERGE, Associação Cultural, awarded through the Portuguese Emerging Art 2018 publication, which selected five artists for solo shows at Casa Azul, a contemporary art space in Torres Vedras, Portugal.

Exhibition view from the solo show Aurora at Casa Azul, Portugal, (2018).

Curated by Jorge Reis (Emerge Agency). Photos by Leonor Fonseca.

🔗 Aurora Exhibition at Casa Azul – curatorial text (in Portuguese) by Jorge Reis, Emerge Agency