Next Saturday, September 12thGaleria Municipal do Porto will present two new exhibitions: "Prémio Paulo Cunha e Silva - 2.ª edição" and "Waves and Whirlpools". The first will present works by the six finalists of the Award, created in 2015 by Porto City Hall, as a tribute to the former councillor of culture Paulo Cunha e Silva.


The jury of this second edition - Isabel Lewis, John Akomfrah, Margarida Mendes and Shumon Basar - analysed the portfolios of 48 artists, selected by a group of 16 curators appointed by them, and selected the finalists Basir Mahmood, Firenze Lai, Lebohang Kganye, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Song Ta and Steffani Jemison. These six artists are, in the words of the jury, "voices - aesthetic, ethical, technical - that articulate the current moment, or even sense what is to come" and that moved them by their beauty, tenderness, political speculation and even their magic.


Basir Mahmood (Pakistan) uses video, film and photography to reflect on social and historical elements rooted in daily life, while Firenze Lai (Hong Kong) tries to express, in his paintings and drawings, states of expanded perception. The artist Lebohang Kganye (South Africa) fuses fictional characters with "real" characters to create stories, incorporating sculpture, installation and film. Sculpture is also the medium of choice for Shaikha Al Mazrou (United Arab Emirates), an artist fascinated by materiality in art, who works with colour and shape to create geometric and abstract arrangements.


In turn, Song Ta (China) seeks to antagonize the boundaries established between definitions of commercial and institutional art with works that explore the daily behaviour of certain groups in society, while the work of Steffani Jemison (United States of America) addresses privacy and opacity as strategies for abstraction and political resistance.


The winner of the award, in the amount of 25,000 euros, will be announced during the exhibition.

Also on September 12th, but at the GMP mezzanine, the exhibition "Waves and Whirlpools" by Luís Lázaro Matos, will be presented, curated by Martha Kirszenbaum (curator of the Pavilion of France at the 58th Venice Biennale, 2019). Exceptionally, on September 12th and 13th, the two exhibitions can be visited until 9:30 pm.


Admission is free, under the maximum limit of 30 people and other hygiene and safety rules currently in force.



All information regarding the programme can be found on the website of Galeria Municipal do Porto.

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    Last updated 2022-12-06