The Algarve shown in Patrícia Almeida's photographs is real (or perhaps not), but it is certainly not the one that tourism entities would like to see shown. The exhibition «Patrícia Almeida: Portobello», which brings together 46 photographs taken between 2006 and 2008, belonging to the Serralves Foundation, opened yesterday in the foyer of Teatro da Figuras, in Faro.
The photographer did «very persistent work in the Algarve», where «she spent long seasons from May to October», as recalled Filipa Loureiro, curator of the exhibition and who closely with Patrícia Almeida, before she died in 2017.
The artist's work took on an almost “documental” form, to “catalogize her very own vision of the Algarve”. That it is not the Algarve of those who live here, but a territory that is a “brand place”, “a place to be (not to live or visit), to experience, consume, for a week or two”. The territory of the resorts, the blue water pools, the sometimes artificial lawns, the bars and clubs, the more or less perfect bodies, where vacation time is consumed.
«Portobello It thus presents itself as a place on the edge of fiction, simultaneously real and invented, a kind of 'theme park' without thematic, but anchored in a collective imagination related to the holidays and built from stereotypes», explained Filipa Loureiro.
Initially, Patrícia Almeida's intention was to present her work in an author's book, which she actually edited in 2008. But «soon she is invited to show this photographic series at the Zé dos Bois gallery, in Lisbon», where João Fernandes, then director of the Serralves Museum, sees the exhibition and invites Patrícia to expand it and bring it to Loulé, to the Convento de Santo António, as part of the collective «Estranhas Formas de Vida», produced within the scope of Allgarve, in 2009. É in that year the photographer was nominated, precisely for this work, for the BesPhoto 2009 Award.
The exhibition is now on display in the foyer of Teatro das Figuras, resuming the partnership between the Serralves Foundation and the Câmara de Faro, which, since 2016, has brought two exhibitions from the Porto Foundation's collection to the Algarve capital, in 2016 e 2017.
“It is important to resume and continue this relationship, in order to take advantage of the notoriety of the artistic collection of Serralves' collection”, stressed Rogério Bacalhau, president of the Chamber, at the opening of the exhibition. Recalling that the theater received, last year, 50 thousand spectators, the mayor stressed that "few exhibitions have so many people watching them".
Ana Pinho, president of the Serralves Foundation, underlined that this entity “has been trying to go out of doors and develop activities with outside entities, especially with local authorities”. «We have a large collection, which we increase every year, and we want to show it».
The show that is now on display at the Municipal Theater of Faro "part of the Serralves collection", but was "built together by teams from both sides," he added.
Filipa Loureiro would explain that «this exhibition comes from a first conversation with Gil [Silva, director of Teatro das Figuras], who asked me to work on photography for this space». The curator was especially pleased that she was able to use “all this space in the foyer, which allowed us to set up a 360-degree exhibition”, which even includes an installation, with three of the images printed in large format.
The opening of the exhibition «Patrícia Almeida: Portobello», which presents part of the photographic series acquired by the Serralves Foundation in 2011, had some moments of «emotion», as it was a «homage» to the deceased artist, but represented in this exhibition in Faro by his father António Campos Almeida.
And then, in one of the photographs, slipping on a buoy in a water park, he is none other than Joaquim Guerreiro, former director of Teatro das Figuras and who died last year, also a victim of cancer.
The exhibition can be seen until December 21, during the ticket office opening hours, that is, from Tuesday to Saturday, from 13:00 pm to 19:30 pm, and on the days of the shows, until the beginning.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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