
Luis Dourado: Patience, Memory, and the Art of the Untitled Book
Words by Costas Voyatzis
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Luis Dourado: Patience, Memory, and the Art of the Untitled Book
Words by Costas Voyatzis
Patience is undoubtedly a virtue—and one that young Portuguese visual artist Luis Dourado possesses in abundance. His latest project, crafted between 2010 and 2013 in Berlin and Oporto, is a testament to this enduring quality. Over the course of these years, Dourado painstakingly created Untitled, a limited-edition series of 250 books recently released by SAUNA, the independent publishing house. Each copy, though offset printed, features hand-drawn elements added page by page, book by book—an exercise in both meticulous precision and artistic devotion. The sheer amount of time and care invested immediately raises an intriguing question: how precious can an Untitled book truly be?

UNTITLED by Luis Dourado, photo © SAUNA

UNTITLED by Luis Dourado, photo © SAUNA

UNTITLED by Luis Dourado, photo © SAUNA

UNTITLED by Luis Dourado, photo © SAUNA

UNTITLED by Luis Dourado, photo © SAUNA
While its official price is set at 25€, the true value of this book transcends any monetary figure—it is, in essence, priceless. Deeply rooted in personal memory, the project draws from Dourado’s own family archive, with photographs spanning the years 1978 to 1984, the year of his birth. Each image was scanned, archived, and studied with an almost archaeological curiosity, resulting in a tribute-object that feels both intimate and universal.
At its core, Untitled is a meditation on randomness, chance, and the delicate, unspoken threads of existence. Through this book, Dourado contemplates the hypothetical—what might his family have been like had he never been born? Each photograph bears the trace of his artistic intervention: a subtle, art-worked presence repeated across the entire edition, inviting readers on a deeply personal journey through the fragile landscape of memory. The result is a speculative archive—a poetic exploration of family bonds, history, and the fleeting nature of time.

UNTITLED by Luis Dourado, photo © SAUNA
For collectors and admirers alike, Untitled is also available in a special edition of 55 copies, each accompanied by a unique, artist-designed poster created by the multi-talented Inês Nepomuceno. This limited edition is priced at 35€ (including shipping), further emphasizing the book’s collectible, one-of-a-kind nature.
More than just a book, Untitled is a tactile, emotional experience—a quiet, contemplative object that blurs the lines between art and memory, between what was and what might have been. In an era of fleeting digital impressions, Luis Dourado offers us a timeless artifact of patience, wonder, and the enduring power of human connection.

UNTITLED by Luis Dourado, photo © SAUNA