Arquipélago – Contemporary Art Center inaugurates its first exhibition – “Pontos Colaterais”
On May 22th, Arquipélago – Contemporary Art Centeropens the first exhibition of its contemporary art collection. “Pontos Colaterais – Coleção de Arte Contemporânea Arquipélago, uma seleção” (Pontos Colaterais – Arquipélago Contemporary Art Collection, a selection) is curated by João Silvério in a cooperation protocol with FLAD – Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento. The event begins with the traditional “Sopas do Espírito Santo” (Holy Spirit soups), followed by Gisela João in concert, and closing with a DJ’s concert.
“The exhibition is an approach to the collection gathered over the years which followed the completion of Arquipélago’s Arts Center building, in a perspective that elected the disciplinary diversity and the quality of the artists’ work, given the internationalization of Portuguese contemporary art in a broader context integrating artists from other cultural and geographic coordinates.” – explains the curator.
The artists chosen are: ANA VIEIRA, ANDRÉ LARANJINHA, BRUNO PACHECO, CATARINA BOTELHO, CATARINA BRANCO, CHRISTIAN HOLSTAD, DANIEL OLIVEIRA, EDUARDO SARABIA, FILIPA CÉSAR, GABRIELA ALBERGARIA, GIL HEITOR CORTESÃO, JOÃO ONOFRE, JOÃO PEDRO VALE, JOÃO QUEIROZ, JOSÉ LOUREIRO, JOSÉ MAÇÃS DE CARVALHO, JOSÉ NUNO DA CÂMARA PEREIRA, LAWRENCE LEMAOANA, LUÍSA JACINTO, MARIA ANA SIMÕES, MARIA JOSÉ CAVACO, NICOLAS ROBBIO, NUNO SOUSA VIEIRA, PEDRO BARATEIRO, PEDRO VALDEZ CARDOSO, RICARDO VALENTIM, ROBIN RHODE, RUI CALÇADA BASTOS, RUI CHAFES, RUI MOREIRA, SAIDOU DICKO, SANDRA ROCHA, SOFIA DE MEDEIROS, URBANO RESENDES, VIEIRA PEREIRA, and, to complement this selection, a work from the artist FILIPE FRANCO, courtesy of Carlos Machado Museum.
Arquipélago – Contemporary Art Center is an artistic and cultural project that aims to reach the nine islands creating a reference to the Azorean cultural by activating community participation. In this sense, representing the cultural unity of the archipelago of Azores, the cult of the Holy Spirit was chosen as a central concept of the exhibition. As curator João Silvério states: “The exhibition unfolds in close collaboration with the cultural institutions of the Azores, the presence of artifacts, artwork and photographic documents related to the cult of the Holy Spirit, resonating in spirituality and symbolism with some of the works exhibited. The Holy Spirit is a cohesive element of the Azorean community in any place where the Azorean identity is revealed.”
“Pontos Colaterais” displays a selection of Arquipélago’s contemporary art collection, a collection which constitutes an undeniable and fundamental artistic heritage, revealing Arquipélago’s positioning towards contemporary art and towards its ultimate goal of representing the history of national and international contemporary art, giving special emphasis to Azorean artists.