RBringing together 65 galleries from 14 countries, ARCOlisboa returns to the face-to-face format this month. The fair, organized by IFEMA MADRID and the Lisbon City Council, celebrates its fifth anniversary representing the moment of physical reunion with contemporary art in the Portuguese capital. O event's audience takes place from May 19th to 22nd at Cordoaria Nacional and exhibitors’ content can also be viewed virtually through the platform ARC E-XHIBITIONS.
This year, the curatorship is divided into three cores: General Program, Africa in Focus and Opening Lisbon. The first, dedicated to a broader spectrum of exhibitors, brings together 42 galleries. Despite the number, few countries make up this nucleus; Overall, the fair focuses on a broad dialogue between the Portuguese scene and European art. Among the galleries selected by the organization's committee are three Austrian, 19 Spanish - one of them is Zielinksy, which is also based in Porto Alegre, Brazil -, 18 Portuguese - including Kubikgallery, which is based in São Paulo. -, one from the United Kingdom and one from Uruguay.
The program Africa in Focus, in turn, turns its attention to the investigation of contemporary art from the African continent and its diasporas. Curated by Paula Nascimento, it will comprise eight galleries, with presences from South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Uganda and European galleries. Contrary to what one might think, the nucleus does not occupy a specific and segregated space at the fair, but is made up of individual stands spread across the entire length of the event. The themes of work range from identity politics to the analysis of African histories (personal and collective histories) in a variety of materials, media and styles.
As usual, the Opening Lisbon shows interest in the new galleries that, “because of their short journey or the novelties they bring to the Portuguese context, present interesting proposals and allow discovering other creators”, points out the organization of ARCOlisboa in an official communication. With a selection made by Chus Martínez and Luiza Teixeira de Freitas, the section brings together 13 exhibitors. The Western European presence still stands out, with its 10 participations between Belgian, Spanish, French and Portuguese exhibitors, but it will also be possible to follow the Asian participation - from the stand of Delgosha, from Iran -, Latin American - represented by the Brazilian Verve – and Eastern Europe – by the presence of Georgia's ArtBeat gallery.
beyond the stands
Promoting debates and reflections on the world of contemporary arts, ARCOlisboa presents Millenium ArtTalks. Organized by EGEAC and curated by Filipa Oliveira, the program is open to the public and offers a set of conversations with experts on various topics, with institutional practices and the practices of artists as the main discursive axes. In this edition, artists and professionals such as Tobi Maier, Diogo Evangelista, Bernardo Mosqueira, Luis Silva, Margarida Mendes, Paula Nascimento, Tho Simões, Pauline Foessel, Sabrina Amrani, Adelaide Duarte, Luís Ferreira, Mário Teixeira da Silva and Teresa Kutala Firmino. Check the full schedule on the fair's website..
ArtsLibris also resumes activities in this edition of ARCOlisboa. With 31 national and international exhibitors, the space specialized in publications by artists, photobooks, contemporary thinking, self-publishing and digital publications, is established at Torreão Nascente da Cordoaria with free admission to the public. In parallel, the program develops Speakers' Corner, a program that will promote a cycle of presentations and debates focused on the current state of art publications.
As a novelty, the 2022 edition also develops an International Collectors Program, which includes exclusive visits to institutions and private collections, as well as privileged access to the fair.
Seeking to promote access to a greater number of visitors, the general price of admission will be 15 euros and 5 euros for students. In addition, as a novelty, on Saturday (21), from 17 pm, access will be free for young people between 18 and 25 years old.
