A Perfect Photograph of Us
All photos by Natalia Pereira via ad105.com
AD105 is where history is alive and available to love.
An opportunity received from the most unexpected source. This is a society that shows me how we can actually behave–assist–integrate ways through dream, faith, belief. They are physically here–you can be before them and see that. They are not just a piece of art that you want to place somewhere. They are individuals of my memories that have come to assist and accomplish a goal, a dream of hope and freedom.
AD105 comes from recognizing the year that paper – an element indispensable to our society – became a medium in the modern world. From my birth certificate to death certificate, paper, is one of the greatest elements that nature has provided.
I coexist with AD105 and have the obligation to share my story. And, from my story, and with the paper, come the dolls that are a cornerstone of my work. Some of them have been rescued or adopted just like me.
They are a positive example–a society that is available to help in our transformation. Educated souls, beautifully cultured together. They show me a vision of a wonderful possibility of a great culture that I wish for.
They are willing to better the world from the artist’s heart.
Resembling each other and traveling in diasporas–they are the subjects of our past, present, and future culture. They are not just decoration–you have to see their soul. Feel their history.
Hopefully, someday they will have a home called Museo that will be built with a certainty to continue to be part of the world.
To motivate the necessary change to a culture–as they leave behind examples–in hopes that someone may agree with me–and someone can see a perfect photograph of us.
It is an honor to introduce them to you.
Meet the AD101 Society
Our society is part of the existence of a past–present–with continued transformation for the future.
In action–preciously loud to silence as they are created–I honorably hold the feeling that through them their voices of possibility can be heard.
By birthing them they are freed from their imprisoned self–and somehow left me to be witness of this great wonder.
The Farmers
This is a farm society. They honor the earth: they plant, grow, and carry
respect for nature. The body is built with ink from blueberry and paper.
They are farmers, apothecaries, and healers. The earth provides for
them–leaves it for us. They are part of the medicine group. Another
confirmation that if nature dies, we die.
The Cocoa Society
They are from the cocoa plantation and their bodies are coated with cacao. Through their body of paper, this society is teaching me the bitter-sweet of life. For example, the exploitation is bitter yet the medicine is sweet. Together, we have discovered the bitter-sweet story of chocolate.
The Guardians of the Forest
A great example of the poison and antidote of nature. Paper can be destroyed by fire but here they are dressed by charcoal, of what was left behind. Nature was designed to heal us rather than harm us.
The Teachers of the Unknown
They are an example of a diaspora voyage, somewhere in Europe. The grandmother, mother, and daughter were brought for better luck or perhaps forced. Through the body of AD105 they have taught me that they are an example of a story that may have not been written. For example, I was born in Brazil but my last name Pereira is European and my father’s name is from Greece or Italy. As an orphan, I don’t know my history. It is through AD105 that I am learning that I was also a part of this voyage. Therefore, it is important for me to pay attention because there is a lack of a voice, a lack of a map. A lot of our history is not written, we are part of the world not knowing.
The Society of the Blind
The ones that allow us to believe, realize, and understand the importance of feeling. In our culture they are seen as the blind yet through touch they read the world. Through my touch and with that feeling I shape their bodies with paper and potato flour.
The Anemology Society
The ones that study the wind. I am fascinated by them because what they see, I feel.
The Siblings
Here we have two very amazing siblings. They are a representation of our differences that make us who we are. I wish for a possibility in our society where we could be and behave like ‘siblings’–understand the meaning of that word–where we see and feel our differences.
Conversing Colors
The ones who began discovering how colors can work together. In colors, different bodies are created from around the world. They come to converse about what color is, how we can put color together instead of separating them, and what they can become. Color is innocent in the art of who we are.
Why do I do this type of art?
I don’t have a choice. It feels like a birth, I can’t stop it. They are coming through me–I am the outlet–the conductor of this orchestra.
It’s not only for them–neither for me–perhaps you.
I witness their universal birth, something which seems more and more inevitable with each passing day.
In this world, I am grateful to play a role in unfolding the stories which are meant to be told. Thank you.
–N.P.
Natalia Pereira, also known as AD105, originally from the town of Vianopolis in the Minas Gerais Region of Brazil, is an acclaimed, multifaceted artist, author and chef. Pereira’s childhood, and the unimaginable tapestry of stories that it contains, is the driving force behind her creations, many of which are forged from elements of nature- yucca repurposed as both binding glue and a drawing tool, dried flowers and seeds as integral parts of sculptures, and colors extracted from beets and turmeric. Pereira and her work have been featured in exhibitions of at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA-Gefen Contemporary) in Los Angeles. Pereira has held solo exhibitions in Los Angeles, Italy, Zurich, and beyond. Pereira’s book- entitled “Abundancia: My Life in Recipes” was published in 2021, and includes her recipes, stories, poetry, photography, and sculptural work. As head chef of her restaurant, Woodspoon, in downtown Los Angeles, Pereira garnered international recognition, with accolades including a “Bib Gormand” from the Michelin Guide, as well as a 2022 finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award “Best Chef in California.” Pereira lives and works in Los Angeles.