The exhibition ‘Helena Almeida: Habitar a Obra’, dedicated to one of the most emblematic contemporary Portuguese artists, opened on 10 October at the Amélia de Mello Foundation Gallery, at the headquarters of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa(UCP) in Lisbon. This exhibition is the latest initiative under the cooperation agreement between the Serralves Foundation and Universidade Católica, which has been promoting the presence of contemporary art in the academic space since 2021.
At the opening session, Isabel Capeloa Gil, President of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, emphasised the relevance of art in the university context, highlighting that ‘a university is not a place of comfort, it is a place for creating ideas, for constant challenge’. The President added that ‘art, especially contemporary art, is essential in this process’ because it is capable of ‘creating admiration and disruption’ — dimensions that, she said, are central to the comprehensive education of students and the critical thinking that the University cultivates.
The President of the Serralves Foundation, Manuel Ferreira da Silva, recalled that the collaboration with the Universidade Católica has already resulted in eight exhibitions — on the campuses of Lisbon, Porto, Braga and Viseu — and highlighted the Foundation's long and deep relationship with the work of Helena Almeida, which dates back to 1995. ‘In 2015, we had a major retrospective of the artist's work, an extraordinary exhibition that brought her work to international attention in cities such as Paris, Brussels and Valencia,’ he said.
Paulo Pinto, Director of the Amélia de Mello Foundation Gallery, pointed out that this exhibition marks the conclusion of a four-year cycle of collaboration between Serralves and UCP, which began in 2021 and brought three important exhibitions to the academic community in Lisbon: Lourdes Castro | A Vida Como Ela é, Mãos sobre a Cidade and now, Helena Almeida: Habitar a Obra.
