"We will have works by Canadian artist Renée Gagnon, who did notable work in Angola on the musseques in the 1970s, authorized by President Agostinho Neto himself," said gallery owner Carlos Cabral Nunes, during the installation of the display at the fair that officially opens on Thursday.
The word musseque comes from the local Kimbundu language and refers to the sandy terrain around the city of Luanda, where suburban neighborhoods have been located since the 18th century.
Renée Gagnon documented life in the musseques through photographs, revealing the cultural and artistic richness of these structures, with meticulous details of the streets, alleys, windows and doors.
In addition to promoting the Canadian artist's work, Perve Galeria will be at ARCOlisboa this year with the aim of "raising awareness of the artist João Artur da Silva, one of the pioneers of the surrealist movement in Portugal in the 1940s, who was "practically unknown in the country".
"This artist has a distinguished career in England and Canada, and is probably the only artist from this movement born in the 1920s who is still active. At 97 years old, he continues to paint", highlighted Cabral Nunes.
The gallery owner has positive memories of previous appearances at ARCOlisboa, and has high expectations for the eighth edition: "This year we made a bigger investment, we have a large exhibitor. It's a bigger risk, but marking the 50th anniversary of the independence of Portuguese-speaking countries is also very important."
The ARCOlisboa International Contemporary Art Fair opens on Thursday with 83 galleries, new prizes and expanded free admission "to attract young people", according to the organization, which has set aside two free days for visitors up to 25 years old.
Until Sunday, the eighth edition, which will once again take place at the Cordoaria Nacional building (Portugal), will bring together galleries from 17 countries, with 30 Portuguese and 53 foreign galleries, with special emphasis on the presence of Spain, Germany, Italy and Brazil.
After ARCOlisboa had opened its doors free of charge to young people up to 25 years old during one afternoon of the event in previous editions, the board decided to extend this admission to two afternoons, on Friday (May 30) and Saturday (May 31), starting at 3 pm.
The fair will consist of three sections: General Programme, with 61 galleries, Opening Lisboa, curated by Sofia Lanusse and Diogo Pinto, with 18 galleries, and "As formas do Oceano", a section curated by Paula Nascimento and Igor Simões, bringing together projects focused on Africa, its diaspora and other geographies, in five galleries.
The planned international program will bring 150 guests to Lisbon, including museum directors, curators, gallery owners and other professionals from the sector, "to give visibility to the fair and to interest them in the city's content in this area", the person in charge told Lusa.
In the last three years, the number of visitors to ARCOlisboa has increased from 11,000 in 2022 to more than 13,000 in 2023 and 2024, according to figures from the organization.
Another novelty this year will be the awarding of new prizes, including the Armando Martins Museum of Contemporary Art Acquisition Prize (MACAM), launched this year at ARCOmadrid, and the Studiolo Collection Acquisition Award – Candela A. Soldevilla, by the Spanish collector.
In addition to these, the Opening Lisboa Award, the Millennium bcp Foundation Award for the Best Stand, and the acquisitions by the ARCO Foundation and the Lisbon City Council will continue to be held.
The General Program will feature the debut of galleries such as Travesia Quatro, Duarte Sequeira, Set Espai d'Art and Each Modern, while others will return after a hiatus, such as Vermelho, Nuno Centeno, Rosa Santos, Fonseca Macedo and Galeria de Las Misiones, joining others who are already regulars, such as the Portuguese Vera Cortês, Francisco Fino, Madragoa and Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art.
This group will also feature solo projects by artists such as Diogo Pimentão, Miki Leal, Andrei Ibarra, Amélie Esterházy, Sonia Navarro, Justin Weiler and Manuel M. Romero, among others.
The curated section "As formas do Oceano" will bring together five galleries: African Arty (Morocco), Afronova (South Africa), Christophe Person (France), Karla Osorio (Brazil) and Reiners Contemporary Art (Spain).
The programme for this eighth edition of ARCOlisboa also includes visits to museums and art galleries, book launches, talks and debates.
The official opening of ARCOlisboa is scheduled for 4:30 pm, at Cordoaria Nacional, with the presence of the Portuguese Minister of Culture, Dalila Rodrigues, and the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, who will visit the fair with the guests.
