lisbonblog

The thriving fishing port of Setúbal south of Lisbon bursts into life Saturday 23 September as the annual Sado Festival gets underway.The lively five-day event includes a food fair with no less than 29 participating restaurants, featuring baked fish and various other regional specialities.The festival also comprises exhibitions of fine arts, a cocktail-making competition, fireworks, fashion show, mountain bike racing and a series of nautical events.Set right on the estuary of the River Sado (hence the festival’s name), Setúbal is reachable by train from the capital in less than an hour.It became one of the country’s most important commercial and industrial centres in the 19th century and was elevated to city status in 1860.

This exhibition offers an extensive presentation of the work of João Paulo Feliciano between 1989 and 1994, watersheds in a particularly fruitful and influential period. Adamant in his refusal of any structuring orientation or discipline-based affiliation and a true experimental practitioner, Feliciano explored a variety of materials and expressive media during this period, pushing the boundaries of his field of creative possibilities. The works gathered here are characterized chiefly by the incorporation of elements from rock culture and music, the combination of erudite art references with mass popular culture themes and a host of materials, images and meanings, tied to everyday, contemporary life and arranged in a versatile, concise and ironic game of associations.

Exhibition until 30th of December, see also website.