The Sence of Adventure 2013

Manuela Sambo painted this piece, called 'The Sense of Adventure', and it's pretty big, over a meter high, done with loose brushstrokes and an eye-catching, limited palette. The way the colors interact gives it this dreamlike quality. Look at how the blue of the figures contrasts with the yellow chair – it's not about perfection; it's about feeling. The surface has a kind of rawness, you can see the strokes, the way the paint was applied. The tattoos and markings on the figures are incredible, almost like they're telling a story. Notice how they intertwine with the figures, creating this sense of movement and energy. Sambo's work reminds me a little of Paula Rego, in its raw emotion and storytelling. It's like she's inviting you into a conversation, a feeling, a world that's both familiar and strange, like a memory half-forgotten. It embraces the beauty of imperfection.