


Hugo Lami Portugal, b. 1994
Mars, verba non acta (Mars, speak before acting), 2021
Oil on canvas.
200 x 150 cm
78 3/4 x 59 1/8 in
78 3/4 x 59 1/8 in
Further images
This is a criticism, but also a glorification of the importance of communication and speaking before acting, not just acting, which can so often lead to violence. Mars was considered...
This is a criticism, but also a glorification of the importance of communication and speaking before acting, not just acting, which can so often lead to violence. Mars was considered the god of war in Roman culture. In this painting, Lami updates his symbolism by making him an icon for life rather than one who takes it. The planet is painted as if it were the tip of a phallus, which is why it is seen next to Venus, where it suggests a vagina) (there are small phallic shapes in the texture of the planet, which refers to the fact that men, especially as children, can not restrain themselves from drawing them everywhere, at the top there are shapes that resemble sperm and the @ symbol, which predicts that most people will eventually have a digital self or insta-handle.