The museum inaugurated two new exhibitions this week. One of them is titled ‘Forms in Space… through Light (in Time)’ by British artist Cerith Wyn Evans, showcasing light sculptures, sound installations, and videos, including a suspended white neon network in the MAAT Gallery’s Oval Gallery.
The other new exhibition is part of the program for the 7th Lisbon Architecture Triennale, entitled ‘Fluxes’, situated in the MAAT Central. It offers a reflection on global cities as systems in constant transformation, made up of nearly 30 billion tons of materials.
Outside, in the Praça do Carvão, the public can view the large installation ‘Coral dos Corpos sem Norte’, the largest project by artist Kiluanji Kia Henda created in Portugal, integrated into the BoCA – Biennial of Contemporary Arts program.
Envisioned as a large-scale habitable labyrinth, the work evokes the “geometry of fear” and invites the public to explore an unknown territory, “a powerful metaphor about segregation and freedom,” according to a museum statement detailing the events planned for the anniversary.
Throughout today, a national holiday, there will be guided tours, workshops for children, and various activities, all free of charge but requiring registration on the day at the MAAT Central ticket office, according to the organization.
Between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., the MAAT will host a series of 30-minute flash visits to explore different exhibitions and museum spaces, including the new exhibitions, the old Electricity Factory, the garden, and permanent art installations.
The program also includes thematic visits led by experts, notably ‘How Does This Museum Work?’, ‘Accessible Spaces,’ and specifically to the MAAT Gallery and MAAT Central areas.
Inaugurated in October 2016 by the EDP Foundation, the MAAT is located on the riverside of the historical area of Belém, in Lisbon, covering an area of 38,000 square meters. It combines the Central Tejo – a thermoelectric plant built in 1908 and converted into a museum – and a building designed by the British architecture studio AL_A – Amanda Levete Architects.
Both buildings host exhibitions and events programmed by the museum and are connected by a garden designed by Lebanese landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic.
