Presence /// Absence by Synergy Calls at Tical Lab, Porto, Portugal

October 17, 2025

I had the honor to be part of the exhibition Presence /// Absence by Synergy Calls, at Tincal Lab, Porto, presenting a new jewelry collection designed for this event.

This was a call to a collective exhibition that seeks to examine the tensions and intersections between: what is and what is not—a journey through the epiphany of presence and the echoes of absence.
At every moment, we are surrounded by signs, traces, and voids that define our existence. Like the vibrant hues of a Matisse canvas, or the palpable absence of certainty in Kafka’s prose, our quest leads us to unexpected places.
Presence reveals itself in the form of a smile, a gesture, or a piece of wearable art, within the context of contemporary culture and its reflections: interpersonal relationships, identity, memory, space and time. Conversely, Absence manifests in emptiness, silence, the space in between, or in the unsettling feelings of ”something is missing”, often linked to trauma and the past.

What is Presence /// Absence by Synergy Calls?

SYNERGY is a co-curated contemporary jewelry project between three galleries: Galleria Carlo Lucidi (Rome), Tincal lab (Porto) and Uni.versus (Athens), founded by Carlo Lucidi, Ana Pina and Niki Stylianou, respectively.

Presence /// Absence international collective exhibition, by SYNERGY, opened simultaneously in September of 2025 across the three locations. Tincal lab was happy to present 17 jewelers that explore this dichotomy through different approaches and materials.

THE PROJECT

This exhibition is a manifestation of an innovative, vibrant SYNERGY among three galleries: Galleria Carlo Lucidi in Rome, the Tincal Lab Gallery in Porto, and Uni.Versus Gallery in Athens.

The term “synergy” comes from the Greek word “συνεργία” (synergia), which means “working together” or “cooperating” and explicitly implies a notion of unity and collective action where the outcome is greater than the sum of the separate efforts of the co-creators.

This first exhibition organized by SYNERGY will be co-curated by the three gallerists and will simultaneously take place across the three locations, allowing for a rich and interconnected exploration of the theme, as each gallery will contribute its unique perspective.

About my participation and piece

Urban Flowers on the Walls (UFOTW) is a project inspired by the layers of posters on the walls of my birth city, Athens.

While wandering around Athens I often see walls covered by layers of posters. Those paper layers stay there for years while their colors fade or the glue dries out, so they peel off partially and hang from the walls like a bizarre kind of paper ivy crawling all over them or like a second skin.

My personal interest about the city and the phenomena of urban life is the reason why I decided to design a collection of wearable art pieces inspired by the peeled posters on the city walls.

I was always amazed by the work of Jacques Villeglé who -among other artists of his generation- created art by placing layers of posters and then peeling or ripping them to reveal the posters underneath.

For UFOTW Project I used paper from magazines glued together in layers creating a quite hard surface. In some cases, a piece of wire is used to help the construction be steadier. I decided to finish my projects by adding a few pieces of metal leaves as an ironic touch since these pieces are jewelry and they «need to sparkle». The pieces are quite sturdy but since they are made of paper they can be torn and therefore their owners can change their form if they want. This gesture is part of the project’ s concept.

BUST

wire, paper, glue, metal leaf