The Serralves Foundation presents a group exhibition bringing together works of various types by artists recently added to its Collection, alongside historical works and site-specific interventions commissioned for the context of the exhibition and for the Casa Branca de Gramido in Gondomar. The selection of works offers a contemporary perspective on a way of understanding artistic production that draws on classical references, usually regarded as ideals of balance or perfection – ideals that are now being revisited and reinterpreted in artistic practice, in line with the inclusive and pluralistic outlook characteristic of our times.

The body of work brought together for this project highlights the way in which the artists internalise the canonical models of the classical and Renaissance traditions, taking them as a starting point for their practices. However, this internalisation does not amount to unreflective assimilation: the artists are guided by these models whilst simultaneously questioning them. By bringing these works together, the exhibition aims to highlight the relationship that each artist maintains with the classical tradition, rather than suggesting that the works are similar from a formal or conceptual point of view.

This exhibition, which brings together works by Ana Manso, Charlotte Moth, Eduardo Luiz, Horácio Frutuoso and Sasha Gordon, curated by Luís Pinto Nunes and coordinated by Carlos Magalhães, forms part of the Serralves Collection’s Travelling Exhibitions Programme, which aims to make the Foundation’s collection accessible to a diverse range of audiences from all regions of the country.

Produced by: Serralves Foundation — Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto