This exhibition celebrates the revolutionary spirit of 25 April 1974, marking 50 years since an act that symbolises the struggle for freedom, democracy and the emancipation of territories formerly under colonial rule, resulting in the affirmation of new, sovereign States.
The works presented, influenced by an era of transformation and renewal, are arranged in three ever-present strands — Ancestral Connections, Shared Identities, and Freedom and Transformation — reflecting on the complexities of union, likeness and tolerance, intermingled in the space and in dialogue across themes.
The show is a tribute to the resilience and creativity of Portuguese-speaking countries, highlighting their cultural diversity and unique ability to reinvent themselves and connect through art, history and language.
Untitled
The installation stems from the original piece Xtód. In the Cape Verdean language, in the variant of São Vicente island, xtód carries a poetic sense of being and dwelling in island life, evoking a posture of pause to reinvent the relationship of body and mind with time. It is this relationship that this suspended spindle-top invites us to experience. The literal translation of xtód as ‘be’ therefore proves reductive for the island’s worldview.