MayThis documentation, widely devoted to the Portuguese and international history of performance art in the 70s and 80s, will be revisited at RAMPA (Porto) from April 21 to June 11, 2022.  The activities of this project include the exhibition of some of the documents and visual materials belonging to the collection, the visualization and discussion of photographs and videos, the audition of sound recordings, the presentation of original live performances or the re-enactment of the performances documented in the archives, the exhibition of works of art created in response to this project, and a poster workshop. Additionally, the program will foster a series of informal conversations with artists, cultural agents, and with anyone interested in the discussions around the construction of a performance archive and the ensuing dilemmas, in relation to the work of Egídio Álvaro.

It is of the utmost importance that these materials have the chance of being analyzed and studied from a cultural, historical, and material point of view. The production of historical and theoretical content about the work of art critic Egídio Álvaro is relevant in itself, but more so because it branches into the study of the works of the numerous artists with whom he collaborated, and because in his archives are buried the connections, collaborations, and cross-influences between these artists.

To acknowledge, celebrate and bring to life the documentary collections of Egídio Álvaro, opening it up for a community of artists, historians and other individuals interested in the history of performance art will be an important first step for the long due institutional work, hopefully lying ahead, and provides a singular opportunity to ponder and evaluate the status quo of the creation and study of the arts in Portugal.

This program presents an opportunity to remember performance art as an artistic expression that waits to be inscribed in the history of Portuguese culture, but simultaneously, it elicits a debate and a new cultural approach to the documents, images and sounds of a decisive period in Portuguese history that needs to be re-analyzed and reengaged by the new generations, find new meanings and impact upcoming events. We are still asking questions; the answers are unknown and lie ahead.

May 4 – 8, 2022

Highlight: Galerie Diagonale

From the arquive: Alain Snyers, Albuquerque Mendes, Barbara Heinisch, Armando Azevedo, Gonçalo Duarte, Jacques Guheo, Karl Iro, Manoel Barbosa, Miguel Yeco, among others.

Exhibition of comissioned artworks: Mafalda Santos, João Leal and Cesário Alves.

May 7 maio  6:30 PM

PERFORMANCE

Albuquerque Mendes, “Envelope Surpresa” (15') followed by conversation with the artist Gerardo Brumester.