The exhibition “Boliqueime a terra e os gentes”, curated by Francisco d'Oliveira Martins and Maria do Céu d'Oliveira Martins, opens on March 25, at 10:00 am, with the right to a conference, and will be open until on the 28th of April at the Convento Espírito Santo Art Gallery, in Loulé.
Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins, who was Minister of Education, Finance and the Presidency, and who is now administrator of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, has links to Boliqueime, where his mother was born.
«Ah! Boliqueime comes to mind! The land and the people deserve our memory. The intense and limpid blues, the earthy reds, the yellows and the greens of the trees – call us to life. We are between Barlavento and Sotavento – strictly in the center of the Algarve, from east to west and north to south, where the mountain embraces the Barrocal, descending serenely to the sea, on the long cliff front that defines the transition», he says.
“I remember my childhood summers. And I remember the preparations, the excitement, the anticipation, the enjoyment of the reunion. Grandpa Mateus came to fetch us. My mother provided everything. The moment was unique: the house, the trees, the flowers, the animals, the things and above all the people. The memory joined the surprise. And the adventure started at the South and Southeast Station up to Barreiro. The encounter with the Algarve required the railway, and then it started to force, by car, the very long mountain range of Caldeirão…», he says.
«The train left us in Albufeira. And we arrived in the land of promise. The city was left behind, the outdoors, imagination, autonomy, everything began. The first lunch awaited us – chicken soup and cabidela rice, and we were looking forward to this opportunity, which Grandma Ana especially took care of. It was the best giblet in the world. From a distance, nostalgia brings us smells, flavors, feelings, smiles that are especially pleasant and beautiful. The flavors were unforgettable, the dried figs, the almond sweets, sugar and eggs, the dom-rodrigos, the morgados and the sculptured pieces of the almond paste confectionery – fruits and fish stuffed with soft eggs», he adds.
«My grandmother insisted on having them of different qualities, so that they were never lacking in armchairs and baskets. The almonds were delicious and as for the carobs we didn't suspect their thousand uses. From Loulé, the grandfather spoke to us with enthusiasm about the bustling commerce. António Aleixo and his poems were remembered», he says.
«When leafing through the “Monograph of the Municipality of Loulé”, by Ataíde de Oliveira, we perceived the richness of a municipality marked by its connection to the mountains, through the routes of the almocreves and the distant memories of Remexido», he says.
The enchanted Moors, the romancer, the legends told us of the multiplicity of influences – and when we read “O Dia dos Prodígios” by Lídia Jorge, we understand the many mysteries and the enormous capacity for efabulation of these fantastic people. Maria Aliete Galhoz and José Ruivinho Brasão have been tireless in revealing these mysteries. Boliqueime of today and forever – how many memories, how many traditions!” he concludes.
This exhibition can be visited from Tuesday to Friday, from 9:30 am to 17:30 pm, and on Saturday, from 9:30 am to 16:00 pm. Admission is free.
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