"Waves and Whirlpools" guided tour to Porto Municipal Gallery this weekend

Tomorrow, 12th September is opening day at Porto Municipal Gallery with the inauguration of the exhibitions "Prémio Paulo Cunha e Silva -- 2.nd edition" and "Waves and Whirlpools". The exhibits are access free and will be on display until 15th November. Operating hours are from Tuesdays to Sunday, between 10am and 6pm. 

The artwork by six artists, which were the finalists of the Paulo Cunha e Silva Award second edition: Basir Mahmood, Firenze Lai, Lebohang Kganye, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Song Ta and Steffani Jemison are on show at the Municipal Gallery's ground floor.

This group was shortlisted by a jury made up of Isabel Lewis, John Akomfrah, Margarida Mendes and Shumon Basar, out of 48 artists identified by sixteen curators.

This award was established in 2015 by Porto City Hall to honour former councillor for Culture, Paulo Cunha e Silva. The winner will be announced during the exhibition.

The gallery's mezzanine, in turn, features "Waves and Whirlpools", by Luís Lázaro Matos. The show, curated by Martha Kirszenbaum (curator of the Pavilion of France, at the 58th Biennial of Venice, in 2019), presents several paintings by the artist, inspired by his latest work (same name as the exhibition). The display features topics related to the mythology of the sea: incredible marine creatures, an astronaut dog named Laika, a musician that has turned into a turtle and several mysterious aliens.

The album, written and set by Luís Lázaro Matos, which is jointly performed by Diana Policarpo and produced by Adriano Ferreira Cintra, was launched yesterday, 10th September on the artist's Bandcamp profile, where it can be shuffled for free and as of 12th September, it will also be available on Spotify.

On Sunday, 13th September, both artist and curator will deliver a guided tour to the exhibit. The maximum number of participants is 20 people and prior registration is mandatory, via email galeriamunicipal@agoraporto.pt.

Exceptionally, on 12th and 13th September, visitors can enjoy both exhibitions until 9.30pm.

Access to both exhibitions is free; however, to ensure both public and staff safety, the maximum number of visitors to the Municipal Gallery is limited to 20 people visiting the ground floor simultaneously, and 10 people at the mezzanine.

Amid the ongoing pandemic and in line with the Health Authorities, there are rules to follow when visiting the Gallery; as such, visitors must comply with the use of facemasks, hand sanitation and two metres social distancing rules.

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