Valter Gil Marques
Valter Gil Marques’ universe is one of permanence and reinvention,
gestures born in Lisbon but launched to the world. His journey,
shaped by a trained eye in Graphic Communication and the
instinct of a self-taught painter, manifests in canvases where
forms seem to choose, at every moment, between order and risk,
memory and discovery.
But there’s a secret in this process, a name that signs the soul of
his work: Gilka. “My Art is a parallel world, and Gilka is my Alter Ego
in that world,” the artist reveals. Through Gilka, the pursuit moves
beyond the purely aesthetic to become existential, a space for
reflecting and “expressing feelings, emotions, and opinions about
daily life.” Born in Lisbon, Valter balances the discipline of Escola
António Arroio with the boldness of someone who has learned
independently since 1995. His compositions, present in private
collections in Portugal and abroad, evoke both classical tradition
and contemporary innovation.
Each canvas reflects deep observation, but it is in execution that
his voice becomes unmistakable. The pictorial gesture, which
could be purely instinctive, carries the intelligence of a designer.
The composition, which could be rigid, is animated by an
untamable soul. This soul is Gilka’s, unconcerned with creating an
image but intent on conveying and sharing a message. “I take no
pleasure in repeating myself,” Valter states, and it is this refusal of
formula that drives him to explore myths, the supernatural, and the
influence of diverse cultures—from Latin to Asian.
Since 2000, Valter has participated in numerous exhibitions,
establishing himself as a constant presence in the Portuguese art
scene. Each show reveals the evolution of his technique and the
maturity of his vision: the ability to transform surfaces into
narratives that invite us to go beyond the visible, always guided by
music, as he confesses, “I cannot create in silence.”
The Grammar of the Soul