In 2006 I was invited by Eng. Elisabete de Sousa, to develop a series of works commemorating the life and work of my grandfather, Manuel Mota. Elisabeth was responsible for the celebrations that were being organised and all the support work for the commemoration of Mota-Engil's 60th anniversary. The celebrations took place in Porto, Lisbon and Luanda, culminating in the launch of a book on the life and work of my grandfather and later, with the impetus of my father and my sister, Inês Mota, in the production of a documentary film.
My involvement in this project ended up being substantial. What began as a series of illustrations for the book ended up developing into four large-scale works and a series of drawings.
Today I feel that these works are important to those who see them and have them around them every day. They are banners of my grandfather's spirit and soul, a talisman that dominates the entrance to the office of my father, António Mota, and my aunts, Manuela Mota, Teresa Mota and Paula Mota.
The meanings and contents of "Dedication to the Father" are intuitive to read. The representations in it are symbolic of any human universe, and it's up to each viewer to take what they need from it.
My grandfather's life is the story of Mota & Companhia. This is because his life was driven by his own adventures and decisions. They had a direct impact on him and those around him. He was the kind of leader who blazes his own trail, a trailblazer. Creating an allegory where his body is built by roads that represent his veins, and where his flesh is terrain moulded by the power of machines, was absolutely clear to me. Every bone, every vein, every cell in his body has the function of fuelling this desire, this need to build.
Having had the opportunity and honour of spending this time getting to know my grandfather was immeasurable. Understanding the forces that generated my family was revitalising and still is today. My grandfather's life, and the foundations of this company, like any other story like ours, is highly inspiring. It generates an energy that cleanses all our insecurities and helps us to assert ourselves in the world simply through our individuality. That's what my grandfather was, a simple individual who conquered his place with his ambition, intelligence and dignity.
Throughout their careers, the Manuel António da Mota Foundation, my father and my aunts have honoured the profile of solidarity that also very much defined my grandfather. The Foundation and its work represent the spirit of responsibility and solidarity that also defined him.
But what I most admire and like to remember about my grandfather is this cataclysm in person, blazing his own trail, with the ability to maintain his focus and the dedication of those who accompany him. It's his energy for breaking away from the established! With these works I want to remember my grandfather's true fire, his courage as someone who can open up the world to others.
It's this grandfather who inspires me and who I don't want to forget, the one who 'fights in the trenches', the 'one who leads the first wagon'; the 'alpha wolf who follows at the end of the pack', the true leader: in body and soul.
- Luisa Mota