The announcement was made today during the conference “Culture, Education, and Territory in the Place of Tomorrow,” held at the Luís de Camões auditorium of the Ponta Delgada Regional Conservatory in São Miguel, an event designed to reflect and debate the role of culture and education as pillars of territorial development.
The selection of Cristina Ataíde emerged from a competition curated by José Maçãs de Carvalho, visual arts curator of the Ponta Delgada 2026 project, involving four artists: Cristina Ataíde, Marcelo Moscheta, João Miguel Ramos, and Sofia de Medeiros, who were invited to create original proposals for the sculpture.
Cristina Ataíde’s proposal was highlighted by the multidisciplinary jury, composed of representatives from the Portuguese Capital of Culture, the Arquipélago — Contemporary Arts Centre of Ribeira Grande, and the Bel Portugal group, for its “coherence with the commemorative intent of the project, formal rigor, poetic strength, and evocative capacity,” according to a statement.
The jury also recognized “the uniqueness of the artist and her contribution to enhancing the island’s artistic landscape.”
“It is a great honor to be able to create a work that is born from the land and speaks about it, about those who work it, and about the balance between nature and humanity,” said the artist, as quoted in the note sent to Lusa.
“I want this piece to belong to the place, to be an invitation to contemplation and communion with the Azorean territory,” she added.
José Maçãs de Carvalho, the visual arts curator for Ponta Delgada 2026, emphasized, as cited in the same note, that “Cristina Ataíde’s sculptural works convey a sense of lightness and non-gravity, combining geometric visuality with a sophisticated economy of means.”
“This proposal, due to its coherence and sensitivity, fully reflects the spirit of this tribute and the dialogue between art, territory, and community that Ponta Delgada 2026 aims to promote,” he noted.
The sculpture will be installed in March 2026, in Ponta Delgada, as part of the World Agriculture Day celebrations.
The objective is to pay tribute to Azorean milk producers, the animals, and the connection to the land—pillars of the Happy Cows Milk Program, an initiative by Bel Portugal, which celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Katia Guerreiro, commissioner of PDL26, stated that “the choice of Cristina Ataíde represents the union between art and territory. Her work embodies the lightness, poetic strength, and respect for nature that we identify as the essence of the Azores and the theme ‘The Place of Tomorrow.'”
For Paula Amaral, head of Sustainability and Corporate Communication for the Bel Portugal group, the work “is a tribute to those who give meaning to the Happy Cows Milk Program—the Azorean producers.”
“We are immensely proud to see this collaboration with Ponta Delgada 2026 transform into an artistic expression that links culture, sustainability, and recognition,” she said, as quoted in the released statement.
Cristina Ataíde (Viseu, 1951) lives in Carnaxide and works in Lisbon, regularly exhibiting since 1984.
A guest professor at the Lusófona University in Lisbon from 1997 to 2012, she holds a degree in Sculpture from ESBAL and has a career marked by large-scale installations, site-specific works, and a constant connection to nature. She is represented in various national and international galleries.
The conference “Culture, Education, and Territory in the Place of Tomorrow” is the first initiative under the PDL26 – Portuguese Capital of Culture project.
The opening show of PDL — Portuguese Capital of Culture is scheduled for January 29, 2026.
