The public space is a place of art all over Porto

Till 20th December, several buildings in the centre of Porto will be wrapped in flags that are true artwork. What you'll see is the outcome of the project "Ver as Vozes dos Artistas" ["To see the Voices of the Artists", free translation], curated by Miguel von Hafe Pérez.

Rather than its institutional meaning, flags in Porto, namely on masts of such buildings as Ateneu Comercial, Orfeão do Porto, Culturgest, Casa da Madeira, Grande Hotel do Porto or Ordem dos Arquitectos acquire a completely opposed meaning, as they convey the work of circa 30 national and international artists, such as André Romão, Ângela Ferreira, Dayana Lucas, Rafel G. Bianchi, Sónia Almeida, Sandra Cinto, Pepo Salazar, Lucia Koch and João Marçal, among others.

"People can claim ownership of a mast, but the wind that brings flags to life has no borders", explains Miguel von Hafe Pérez, curator of the second edition of "Ver as Vozes dos Artistas", a project of Saco Azul Associação Cultural and Maus Hábitos.

This project follows the 2018 contemporary art exhibition, held at the Porto Subway, which takes aim in connecting population and art on a daily basis and "as a manifest of the presence of artists in the public space ", even because "outside the normal circuit of institutions, museums and galleries, people expect to find art", Miguel von Hafe Pérez concludes.