At Millan, the exhibition is also composed of only recent and previously not seen sculptures. But it is a mistake to think of it only as a new stage in José Resende's work - composed of projects and innovative solutions. Because the path tread in the 50 years of the artist's production is of "eternal return;” a reflected, surprising continuum. The humor, tension, opposing directions, the latent movement and its insertion in the public space have always been and are present in his work.

It is undeniable that José Resende's sculptures explore the relationships between the city and the body. Whether by choice of materials — metal plates and pipes, stones, glass, textiles - or through the direct conversation of his work — vertical, horizontal, diagonal and curved — with the surroundings. Guided by a rigorous, flexible thinking and a playful imagination, the artist, through his sculptures, invites the audience into another perspective of the urban landscape, the corporeality and the world’s mobility.

In fact, the idea of the inaccuracy of movement is something that unifies the works of Resende exhibited at Galeria Millan. The sculpture Dobras (2015) is made by interlocking two steel plates: one of which is circular, folded in half, with two slits in "v" and the other which is half-moon shape. The density and strength of the plates inspire permanence; an apparent stability. That soon falls apart when you realize that there is a multiplicity of sculptural possibilities within the same sculpture - just change the fitting of the “v” plate.

It is the idea of an open work that lies its movement, its constant tension. It is also worth mentioning that at the Pinacoteca, Dobras (2015) was displayed as a pair of identical sculptures, whereas at Galeria Millan, the piece has been dismembered and it appears as a set of sculptures in various dimensions.

The never before seen piece Corpo de Prova II (2015) embodies another type of movement. The title already alludes to what is at stake in the sculpture. Are the calculation and the precision of this creation sufficient to control the unpredictability of imagination and of the suggestive character of the flexible form? On one side, two brushed stainless steel pipes measuring 4 meters, on the other, two polished stainless steel tubes at an angle also measuring 4 meters, and both sets are connected by a steel cable. Corpo de Prova II (2015) refers to previous methods — such as the train cars suspended by steel cables and even in some sculptures dating back to the 1970s — but presents new solutions: a pre-established and powerful balance.

In the lobby of the gallery, the never before seen work Up Side Down (2015) — consisting of brass tubes connected by steel cables — produces an impact for its monumentality, for its humor and for its challenge to gravity. Even despite the lightness and the aerial quality of the work which, incidentally, seems to create a virtual volume that moves toward the observer's body, Up Side Down, measuring 6 meters, has as a challenge the task of standing up. The sculpture also exceeds in scale the environment where it is installed.

There is a tension between the work and architecture. The dimensions of the spaces — such as the columns, the thickness of the wall, the passages, the wall coverings, the floor, the ceiling — are seen again. The exhibition is on display at the Gallery Millan until 26 September.