The 11th edition of the public art program “Art Arrived at Colombo”, created and produced by State of the Art for Centro Colombo, was marked by the exhibition “100 Years Nadir Afonso”, a retrospective of the work of Nadir Afonso (1920-2013), one of the most recognized Portuguese artists. Curated by Laura Afonso, President of the Nadir Afonso Foundation and the artist’s widow, the exhibition featured works dated between 1947 and 2010.
In an ambitious installation, which occupied almost the entirety of Colombo’s event square, visitors were able to admire 43 original works by the artist, including 14 gouaches exhibited for the very first time, in a temporary museum created exclusively to celebrate the centenary of Nadir Afonso.
The exhibition followed the path of Nadir Afonso’s pioneering work of painting and architecture, featuring paintings and gouaches from the various phases of the artist, divided into chronological order, as is the case of “Geometric Composition” (1947), “Serpent” (1953-2004), “Cathedrals” (1960), “Rossio” (1968), “Damascus” (1996), “Doges” (2006) and “The Uncertain City” (2010).
There was also a space exclusively dedicated to the artist’s architectural sketches, as well as the 3D model of the Nadir Afonso Contemporary Art Museum, in Chaves, designed by architect Álvaro Siza Vieira.
The exhibition “100 Anos Nadir Afonso” also had a multimedia experience showing the movement of his art and transporting visitors on a unique journey. In a truly immersive and interactive artistic experience, five works by the artist were interpreted and animated in 3D, using videomapping technologies in a play of light in harmony with the music and environment.
The temporary museum was designed by Diogo Aguiar Studio and was the largest exhibition structure ever created in the event square within the scope of the “Art Arrived at Colombo” initiative. Inspired by the series “Cities” by Nadir Afonso, the project was formalized as a geometric and abstract city, built by large cubes, which relate to the huge artistic works. If, during the day, the solar intensity gave body and volume to the city, illuminating streets and squares; at night, the buildings turned on their lights from the interior (backlit volumes), providing a totally different spatial experience in the same museum space.
Photos © Ivo Tavares Studio
