The Portuguese Azulejo Tile
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In Portugal, the Azulejo tile is more than a mere decorative element of little intrinsic value. It has been an important medium for Portuguese artistic expression for more than five centuries. This conventional material is used for its effective abilities of aesthetically qualifying a building in a practical way. With its strong scenographic, descriptive and monumental qualities, the Azulejo tile is nowadays considered one of the most original products of Portuguese culture, which reveals not only the history, but also the mentality and the aesthetics of each era.		Diogo Machado (a.k.a. add fuel to the fire) is a Portuguese artist related to the new Pop culture who draws inspiration from the quotidian, from life itself and from the urban environment. Urban culture and life in society have always had a strong influence on his work. Due to his roots, he has always been in touch and familiar with the standardisation of patterns produced by the murals of Azulejo tiles. History is once again retold, this time inserted in the "add fuel to the fire" universe, where the Azulejo tile is turned into a mass of colour, characters, shapes and details.

All panels presented here are ceramic azulejo tile, available in a limited edition of 5 each (signed and numbered in the back) and will not be produced again once gone. More pictures HERE. Want your panel framed? Send me an E-MAIL.

Please keep in mind that packaging will be made the best way possible, most certainly there will be no problems with broken ceramic, but I can not be responsible for shipping damages. Please allow 4 working days for your item to be shipped.

About -
In a galaxy far, far away… A cold, drab planet once lay in darkness, suspended in the emptiness of the eternal void…Yet, one day it was inexplicably set alight. Since then Planet Fire has been bombarding the stratospheric layers of our world with ultra-biotic intergalactic characters, aiming to take over and subvert the greyness of daily life… This futuristic alternate-reality is the brain-child of Diogo Machado (b. 1980), who lives and works in Cascais, Portugal. With a degree in Graphic Design and a few years experience as a Graphic Designer under his belt, both in Portugal and Germany, in 2007 he decided to become a full-time visual artist and illustrator. From then on, his funny-looking, peaceful, robot-like creatures and graphics have been appearing a little around the globe in illustrations, paintings, exhibitions, hand-painted walls and objects, designer toys, posters, screen-prints, clothing and a diverse array of media in both private and artistic as well as professional and commercial contexts. His unique, vivid style is fast becoming a recognised hallmark in this current graphic-soaked culture of ours. Located in the outer fringes of a multi-layered imaginative mind, one simple glance can convey all the colourful, weird, funny, exciting, cosy and warm features of Planet Fire. And yet, the visual complexity of some of his series demands a deeper, more meaningful look, as amid the stylish, dynamic artwork there are often little, unexpected and surprising details. Most of his pieces are imbued with layers of content which require a closer, more critical analysis. Essentially, though, his work relies only on the desire to entertain people with forms and visual games, greatly depending on his creative mood for the day; whether more conceptual, more figurative, more profound, more critical or simply more fun.		His visual probes have been travelling far and wide for a long time, scanning the lost world of B-Movies, low-budget sci-fi, cartoons, Japanese Kaiju, animation, street art and skateboarding visual culture, fuelling his creative drive and giving rise to a deeply ironical usage of such elements, highlighted with bright colours and a fun-loving feel to them. Music has also served as fuel, from the mellow grooves of roots-rock-reggae to the energizing darkness of metal. Lyrics and moods often end up providing new visual directions, generating illustrative responses as interactive feedback. Just like videogames. The self-confessed addict admits to spending hours hooked-up on one of his multiple consoles, but he can always claim to be “working”, neatly concentrated on their concept art. Nevertheless, it is drawing which takes up most of his time. As he started out he followed a heavily digital and vectorial path, only to eventually return to paint, markers and hand-drawn techniques and styles. Nowadays, lying somewhere in between, he is capable of articulating and enmeshing both under the ever-present orienting light of graphic design. In spite of having been relegated to the background, its power is still very much a part of his method, style and vision. Visual balance, composition, and the use of wild typographic elements are often the corner-stones to his graphic and visual output, craftily managing the equation between commercial and artistic work by drawing energy from as big an audience as he can muster. Spreading art and love from the confines of his Planet Fire to conquer drabness. Adding fuel to fire up the colourlessness of our lives. Words by Miguel Moore, Journalist and Writer

Exhibitions -
2011 . Push Click (collective) . Montana Shop & Gallery Lisboa (Portugal) 2011 . Artitude (solo) . Centro Cultural Casapiano (Portugal) 2011 . Planet Fire (solo) . Montana Shop & Gallery Lisboa (Portugal) 2010 . Burnt (collective) . Together Gallery (USA) 2010 . Back to School 2022 (solo) . Restart (Portugal) 2010 . Sleight of Hand (collective) . Recoat Gallery (Scotland) 2010 . Sweet Cuts (solo) . Waves&Woods (Portugal) 2009 . LeCoqTuguese (Exd09) (solo) . Mercado da Ribeira (Portugal) 2009 . Cascais ArtSpace (collective) (Portugal) 2009 . Alfa Romeu Spazio Dual (collective) (Portugal) 2008 . Super Bock Street Art (collective) (Portugal) 2007 . Optimus Lab Tour (collective) (Portugal) 2007 . Red Bull Street Gallery (collective) (Portugal) 2007 . Everything is Black or White, Kenn Munk (collective) (Denmark / Germany) 2006 . Madturnip’s Madgic Trexi Custom Toy Design (collective) (France) 2006 . Invisible Travellers (collective) (Spain)

Books & Press -		Commissioned Projects -
Arize Mag Biblia Magazine Black Flood Computer Arts Digit DIF Europa Magazine Lamono Musabook Made and Sold Maki Custom Kicks NewWebPick NLF book Volume 1 to 8 X-Funs		A Better Tomorrow Alfa Romeu Avalon7 Beatbombers Carhartt Cropp ColourLovers Corner $tore Hero Dj Ride Don't Panic Enable2Plus Feed The Beast Fuel Tv GAU Lisboa Go Ape Shirts Mtv Music Monsters MySpace Nike Optimus Pampero Popular Mechanics Pyknic Clothing Playimaginative Redbull Superbock Toy2R Tribbes TMN Yes No Maybe