Featuring works by 24 artists, including Ângelo de Sousa, Grada Kilomba, William Kentridge, and Vasco Araújo, the exhibition presents a dialogue with the concept of the “post-museum.” This concept draws on the research of Françoise Vergès, advocating for a critical approach to the traditional Western museum model, as stated by the organizers.
The exhibition explores the relationship between curatorial practices and the mechanisms of building a collection, highlighting the processes of exclusion, selection, and representation that constitute them, as explained in a statement by Sandra Vieira Jurgens, director of CACE.
The aim is to “provide new perspectives on the past and present, rooted in research and the multiplicity of possible interpretations,” she notes.
“‘A’ de Ausência” is presented as a kaleidoscopic exhibition, traversing diverse geographies, generations, and conceptual contexts, reflected in the works of artists such as José de Guimarães, Luciana Fina, Manuel Santos Maia, Mónica de Miranda, Nikias Skapinakis, Pedro A.H. Paixão, and Pedro Barateiro, among others.
The selected works explore “singular and collective forms of cultural identity,” addressing aesthetic, social, and political issues in contrast with nationalist or universalist discourses.
“By taking certain aesthetic and historical references as a starting point, we are interested in understanding how artists have reflected on the political and social weight of identity in contemporary society, in an effort to counteract the effects of both contemporary nationalisms and abstract universalist discourse,” explains Sandra Vieira Jurgens.
The National Museum of Ethnology hosts this initiative from CACE, which aims to question the historical and contemporary dynamics of representation and underrepresentation in museum spaces. It advocates for “an openness to dialogue and critical listening on the colonial past,” until July 13.
CACE is a public collection that brings together contemporary art works acquired by the state to support national artists, preserve contemporary artistic creation, and promote it to the public.
It includes works across various media such as painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installation, spanning different generations and artistic languages.
The collection, whose works are loaned to public institutions for temporary exhibitions, has circulated throughout the country in exhibitions presented in recent years in institutions in Lisbon, Porto, Aveiro, Tavira, Elvas, Beja, Castelo Branco, Vila Nova de Foz Côa, and abroad in Italy and Spain.
The exhibition “Post-Museum: ‘A’ de Ausência,” featuring works from the State Contemporary Art Collection, opens on Thursday at 6:00 PM at the National Museum of Ethnology in Lisbon.
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