The exhibition “Imaginaries of Guinea-Bissau – the collection of Álvaro de Barros Geraldo (1955-1975)”, curated by Inês Gomes (research associate at ICS-ULisboa and collaborator of GI Impérios) and Catarina Laranjeiro (IHC) opens next Thursday, May 8, at the National Museum of Natural History and Science, between 6 pm and 9 pm, and will be on display until August 31, 2025.
Daniel Barroca, researcher at GI Impérios and PhD student in anthropology at ICS-ULisboa, will give a guided and commented tour of the exhibition as part of its parallel program (see below).
This exhibition is based on a collection from the Overseas Historical Archive of around 82,000 negatives (as well as a set of slides and contact prints) from Guinea-Bissau and Lisbon — a unique collection, never before studied, exhibited or properly catalogued. The images are by Álvaro de Barros Geraldo (1922-1993), a photographer with an enigmatic trajectory, whose fragmented biography demands a critical reading of his legacy.
Imaginaries of Guinea-Bissau, investigates the role of photography in constructing the argument of “peacekeeping” in a territory at war. Through photographs of ambushes, protocol ceremonies and military and social initiatives, we seek to critically analyze how this discourse legitimized and perpetuated post-colonial tensions throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. In the year that marks the 50th anniversary of the independence of the former Portuguese colonies, this exhibition questions the legacies of this narrative and its implications for the present and future.
The exhibition is produced within the scope of the “Art for Democracy” Program, an initiative of the 50th Anniversary of April 25th Commemorative Commission in partnership with the Directorate-General for the Arts.
Parallel programme
. 23.05., 18h30, Cinemateca Portuguesa – Museu do Cinema
Guiné, berço do Império 1446-1946 (1946, 18 min.), de António Lopes Ribeiro
Adeus, até ao Meu Regresso (1974, 70 min.), de António Pedro Vasconcelos
Sessão comentada por Ariana Furtado
. 01.06., 11h00, visita comentada à exposição por Daniel Barroca e João Egreja
. 29.06., 11h00, visita comentada à exposição por Catarina Mateus e Inês Vieira Gomes
. 13.07., 11h00, visita comentada à exposição por Ariana Furtado e Catarina Laranjeiro
. 27.07., 11h00, visita comentada à exposição por Aurora Almada e Santos e Paulo Catrica
. 31.08., 11h00, visita comentada à exposição e debate com Amadu Dafé e Onésio Soda