Ana Aragão (b. 1984)

48 years of dictatorship vs. 48 years of democratic life – a fundamental and symbolically signposted temporal mirror.
The relativity of time, proved a long time ago and continuously verified in practice, raises the question: how much time cancels time? And we ask ourselves: is there any measurement of time that cancels time itself? Or even, at the furthest extremity: are time and freedom in any way compatible?
We celebrate democracy through 48 hands, reiterating that this is precisely the opposite of a wall; rather, it is a circular mural with multiple open windows.
We break the curse of mirrors: democratic life only works if we identify with it: metaphorically and, in this piece, literally.

Ana Pérez-Quiroga (b. 1960)

“¡NI UNA MENOS!” is a political slogan used to fight gender-based violence, femicide, misogyny, gender discrimination, sexual violence and domestic violence. This cry of protest ("Not one less!"), unleashed for the first time on 3 June 2015 in demonstrations held by the feminist movement in Argentina, has extended to Latin America and the rest of the world.
By painting this phrase on a mural commemorating freedom, my purpose is to give this fight visibility so that together we can advance towards a fair and equal society.  

Carlos Stock (b. 1993)

This panel was conceived in two layers. The first one involved various people who moved around it and, via tags, throwies and phrases, had the freedom to express the meaning that the moment had for each of them, in an action which mirrored the title of this collective piece: 48 artists, 48 years of freedom. Created over this first layer is a second one which can be explored through the various rips, covered in wrapping paper full of symbols and dedications.
Initially, the rips form the number 25 on a heavily textured colourful background. This 25 April, which is being celebrated on another very special day – 10 June – enables us to glimpse the entire world of colours; however, we are only allowed to see a fraction of all the shades of this as yet unopened gift

David Evans (b. 1945)
 

On 10 June 1974, the Colonial War was still rolling on and, while Lisbon was flooded with the euphoria of freedom and social transformation, contingents of Portuguese soldiers were still being sent to Africa. In the mural from that time, my aim was to draw attention to the need to put an end to this fraught and incongruous situation. Although the revolution on 25 April obviously brought us the freedom we all yearned for, gross social inequalities still exist despite 48 years of struggle and sacrifice, and the international situation is infinitely worse than in 1974, when the Vietnam War was still destroying lives. The decision to use the same image I used at that time is intended precisely to draw attention once again to the various wars being waged around the world, from Afghanistan to Eritrea, Yemen, Palestine, Syria, Ukraine and so on. They are a scourge that indirectly affect us, of course, but also a clear symptom that the world’s resources are distributed in a manifestly unequal manner.

Eurico Gonçalves (1932–2022)

In his gestural painting, Eurico Gonçalves creates unpremeditated spontaneous signs such as crosses, circles and other impulsive graphics. Whereas in his figurative phase in the 1950s he used “discs” to evoke breasts, wombs, the sun, moon and balls, from 1967 they reappeared as an archetypal form of harmony and plenitude in the series Estou Vivo e Escrevo Sol [I’m Alive and I Write Sun] that he worked on until 1973 in homage to the poet António Ramos Rosa. The “disc” counteracts the impulsive and the automatic; it is free writing at the scale of the painter’s arm and body. His first paintings were executed slowly and consist of flat and well-defined forms, but in his gestural works, the execution is fast with less defined or more fluid forms. Through improvisation, this painting of signs is created out of gesturalism.
By Dalila d’Alte Rodrigues

Fernanda Fragateiro (b. 1962)

Writing a date on a wall is to tell a story. More than a mere reference to the day when the revolution took place on 25 April – the most important event in 20th-century Portugal – the recording of this date brings with it a collection of facts, events and memories. This mural thus takes the form of an “open archive” that unlocks and activates itself every time someone seeks to learn what happened on that day. It opens up a conversation. Because that is what art does.

This work is also an obvious reference to the artist On Kawara and his long series of paintings entitled "Today series", whose canvases consist of recording the date when the paintings were executed.

Filipa Bossuet (n. 1998)

The movement of each brushstroke suggests a grievance, and it is also the moment at which the artwork itself takes form as it is reflected upon: “Are you only going to paint in black?”, “Is that it?”, “Are you going to add more layers or write something?”
Anyone who sees themself (?) reflected in the painting is a part of it in some way. I painted the square black. Completely black, with all the analogies that can exist around the act of saying, “I painted the square black”, around the action of painting the square black and seeing the square painted. It’s a work that talks about presence and absence. The presence that remains unavoidable, pluriversal and unique, and the “principle of absence, in which something that exists is made absent”, in Fanon’s words. 

Sueli Carneiro, a Brazilian intellectual invited onto singer Mano Brown’s podcast Mano a Mano, at one point says: “For us, bereavement is a verb.”

Lima Carvalho (b. 1940)

• Interview

For this mural, I was given a space like everyone else’s that was rectangular in shape and suggestively vertical in size and positioning. It is located right at the bottom of the lowest row and on the right if you’re looking from the front. With an idea of what I already wanted to do, I started by sketching the outline of a slightly inclined female figure suggesting an upward movement in the lower section of the rectangle. I only drew the head and the upper part of the body, down to the top of the shoulder, leaving a large area free that I covered with sky blue in a vertical sense. I also tried to make this face-head look upwards, with the hair fluttering in the wind, transfigured into the feathers of a bird, like a big wing. 
Using this black ink sketch, I was able to accentuate a serene female face and give the hair-feathers movement. I think this gives an air of freedom to the woman, an attempt to express her desire to fly, not at great height, but suggesting a proximity to the world located below the line of sky blue and cobalt that covers almost all of the space.

Manicómio

“Aren’t you bipolar?”
“I’m not a sheet of A4.”
These artworks – one a question and the other a statement – seek to question the freedom won in the aftermath of the Portuguese revolution on 25 April.
The first addresses not only mental health but also bipolarity in everyday life – what has been achieved, what still needs to be done... Have we achieved anything?
The second is a cry unleashed by our revolution. We say “our” because we join together to demystify mental health in the fight against the stigma imposed by labels and in the struggle against a market that puts us into “boxes” for its own comfort. “I’m not a sheet of A4” wants to rid society of its prejudiced views and to ensure the right to dignity.

Manuel Botelho (b. 1950)

• Interview

For the panel 48 artists, 48 years of freedom, I selected a fragment from João Abel Manta’s cartoon "1.º de Maio de 1974" [1 May 1974]. It was a magical and unrepeatable day of unity and celebration.  
João Abel Manta’s advanced age and physical frailty hindered him from taking part in this initiative, but I thought it was imperative to ensure that he could there by my own hand. 
Today, I remember the optimism of that historic moment without ever forgetting that the struggle to uphold its values is not over; we have achieved a lot, but there is still much more to do.

Sérgio Pombo (1947–2022)

The word "viva" [hooray], in red, is a spiritual exaltation, the driver of all human activity. It synthesises the force needed to overcome obstacles but is also a symbol of joy and salutation.
The number “4” refers to past decades and can be either a monster or a shiny, silver element.
The colours are those of Portugal: soil, sun, sea and land. There are various elements: a carnation, a couple, the 25th of April Bridge, Lisbon.
The word "liberdade" [freedom] – in white, the colour that symbolises peace – is the most important element, as it is only possible when the basic necessities are satisfied. 
It is an element of order that emerges, reassuringly, from the chaos.
By Alexandre de São Marcos

Tamara Alves (b. 1983)

• Interview

We Are Still Here is the portrait of a symbol of resistance and perseverance. A female figure holds a carnation close to her face, evoking the resilience of the people. It is a reminder that we are still here and ready to fight. Through her eyes, the times may have changed but the essence of our struggle for freedom remains the same. It is a constant quest that adapts itself to our spirits and the context in which we live.
This mural seeks to honour the strength and determination to fight for our freedom.

Teresa Magalhães (b. 1944)

My Painting Is A Game Between The Portuguese Flag, The Sky And The Sun!
Letters Are A Profound Desire: Hooray for the Beautiful Life!

Programming by João Pinharanda
Curated by João Pinharanda (maat), Alexandre Farto, António Brito Guterres, and Carla Cardoso
Organised by maat, Iminente and Underdogs
Project management by Adriane Kampff, Bárbara Serôdio and Fernando Ribeiro (maat); Juliana Almeida (Underdogs)
Coordination of audiovisual production by Nuno Fernandes Paula (maat); Paulo Correia and Silvia Rebelo (Iminente)
Installation by Ana Grebler, Francisco Crato, Henrique Biatto, Lívia Travassos, Martinho Fernandes and Vasco Lima; Andaluga, Jopinto and Versátil Partilha
Audiovisual installation by Iminente and Versátil Partilha
Communication by Catarina Seixas, Elisabete Sá, Jule Kurbjeweit, Leonor Carrilho, Mariana Líbano Monteiro and Matilde Raposo
Editorial coordination by Nuno Ferreira de Carvalho
Graphic design by Beatriz Severes and Lisa H. Moura (maat)
Proofreading and translation by Caligrama
Graphic production by Logotexto and L2 Spirit
Insurance by Innovarisk

Children’s group: Edite Lurdes Dias, Emma Isabel Varela Évora, Jaime Manta Botelho Puga Ferreira, Olívia Sousa de Almeida Lima and Stella Sousa de Almeida Lima
Acknowledgements: Silvina Pinto (Jopinto), Olga Vaqueiro (Y-Hello), Raquel Eleutério, Miguel Condeça, Antonia Silva, Mara Lopes, Maria João Guardão and Filipa Lowndes Vicente; installation team: Versátil Partilha, security team: 2045, cleaning team: ISS

Supported by
Comissão Comemorativa dos 50 Anos do 25 de Abril
EGEAC

Sponsored by
Fundação PLMJ
Innovarisk

Under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic