Per agros ad stellas - public space commission, 2025

PER AGROS AD STELLAS, 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS, 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS (side view), 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS (detail), 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS, 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS, 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS (side view), 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS (detail), 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
 
PER AGROS AD STELLAS, 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS, 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS, 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS, 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS (side view), 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS (side view), 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS (detail), 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
PER AGROS AD STELLAS (detail), 2025. Mondim granite and lichens, 179 x 135 x 56 cm. Photograph by Pedro Soares -courtesy of Artworks .
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The artwork PER AGROS AD STELLAS (“through the fields to the stars”) by Beatriz Manteigas presents itself as an artistic and poetic interpretation of the Camino de Santiago, highlighting its historical relationship with the natural world, time, and space, while recalling the etymological origins of the words peregrino (“one who walks through the fields”) and Compostela (“field of stars”).

Composed solely of Mondim granite and lichens (whose inoculation will later take place as part of an educational activity with local youth) — both materials and organisms naturally present in the landscape and aesthetic that define the Camino — the work invites reflection on the concept of “place” as a moment that connects time and space, but also as a subject, the latter being the one who legitimizes the first two (the pilgrim). It thus emphasizes the uniqueness of each pilgrimage and the singular experience that each person will have in passing by and interacting with the piece.

Through its chosen materials and its mutable characteristics — activated by sunlight, which enhances or obscures the legibility of its inscription — the work reaffirms the connection between the Camino and the natural world, reminding us of the urgency of restoring that relationship in all spheres of human existence.

CM Vila Nova de Cerveira, september 2025


Credits
Artist: Beatriz Manteigas
Commissioned by: Municipality of Vila Nova de Cerveira
Produced with the support of: Arte em Acção/CABE184; ArtWorks
Technical assistance: Carlos Arteiro, Carolina Jegundo,  Leonor Talefe, Luís Ramos (ArtWorks)
Photography: Pedro Soares, courtesy of ArtWorks