For omentejovem, art is a mirror. One that reflects the artist’s intentions, but also shows the viewer’s own memories and desires; your mental shape.
Though the whole ‘Stories on Circles’ series carries the imprint of personal creation, the artist finds greater meaning in how others receive it: in what they notice, feel, or quietly project onto the work. This exchange feels profoundly human for him, and a necessary way of bringing us all together, to know we are not alone in the wild and bittersweet journey of life. If you allow yourself a moment to linger, just noticing the work, something unexpected may emerge; perhaps less in the artwork itself, but actually more within you. “This is the last artwork in the collection. It doesn’t ask to be understood, but to be felt.”
Omentejovem began this work as a quick, playful sketch. No plan, no concept; just the pleasure of drawing. A post by a fellow artist nudged the start; with the gist being: have some fun while creating, without overthinking. The Brazilian chose yellow as the background color because that, to him, reads as happiness. Then he let the lines on his iPad run. What appeared actually quite surprised omentejovem: a dog, whilst the artist is more of a cat person. However, he kept the first sketch as a base and redrew it in another register. He felt it meant something.
Don't let the dog guide you
Interestingly, omentejovem has felt his subconscious reach for more recognisable forms over the past months – faces, bodies, objects, animals – but without abandoning his typical sense of abstraction. This piece sits on that seam, with the ‘dog’ shifting into a kind of mystic persona – recognizable but interpretable in many ways. The dog’s long leash that comes with the imaginary pet is another key in this work. It suggests range but still marks a limit; a mental one. Hence the subtitle the artist gave this work: Don’t let the dog guide you.
My Dog Has a Long Leash doesn’t insist on a single reading; omentejovem is explicit about keeping his own meanings brief so viewers can bring theirs. What remains though, is a clear structure of tensions: figure and horizon, presence and outline, freedom and restraint. The ground bears the trace of paws; the sky carries the marks of thought. Between them: the distance a mind gives itself, and the choice of who is leading whom."