Isaac

Isaac was born in Porto, in 1975, but says he was only born six years later, when he found himself standing at the entrance to his father’s grocery store, looking at the huge granite wall of the former Cadeia da Relação (Jail and Court of Appeal of Porto) – his first memory of himself.
He was raised in the Cordoaria area by his grandmother, who sold fish and pots of basil, and by his grandfather, who made a living doing ‘monkey business’, before devoting himself to the obsessive reading of the Bible.
At a young age, he wanted to be a pastry chef, but ended up working in a pharmacy. In addition, in a daily struggle for survival, he assembled computers, reproduced technical architectural projects and worked as a driver for a moving company. In fact, it was art he liked the most, but life never smiled at him, so he postponed his dream of one day becoming famous as an artist and leaving his mark on the world. In recent years he has worked as an assistant in graphic design companies, taking the opportunity to develop his innate artistic skills.
By mere chance, this activity led him to regularly come across Porto’s art district, and he is now one of the biggest bets of the Cruzes Canhoto gallery.

In Isaac’s artistic creations, the Judeo-Christian heritage, dualistic and apocalyptic, that strongly marked his childhood and youth, is clearly evident. These are works created in painting or drawing, on canvas, wood, paper or cardboard, with a naïve surrealist expression.
In September 2024, he presents his first solo exhibition, “De Súbito” [suddenly], at the gallery Cruzes Canhoto, in Porto.