An artistic celebration imagining Europe’s future brings together Gonçalo M. Tavares, Valete, Paula Diogo, Báyò Akómoláfé, and Elizabeth Povinelli, a Silent Disco, and other programming in three days of meetings, performances, and exhibitions in Lisbon.
From the 7th to the 9th of November, The European Pavilion 2024: Liquid Becomings Agora will take place in east and north Lisbon, which includes Doca do Bispo, Quinta Alegre, Biblioteca de Marvila, and Clube Oriental de Lisboa.
For three days, a multidisciplinary programme will place artistic creation and reflection at the heart of the debate on Europe’s future, promoting meaningful dialogues between artists and local communities.
One of the programme’s highlights is the new literary exploration by Gonçalo M. Tavares. On 9 November, at the Marvila Library, the acclaimed Portuguese writer presents a reading from his latest text, Fábulas da Maldade para uma Europa Líquida , with a visual performance by artist Adriana Proganó. This text, commissioned as part of Liquid Becomings, offers a critical and poetic view of Europe’s challenges, exploring themes such as the fluidity of borders and the continent’s political uncertainties. The reading is followed by a conversation with the author, Adriana Proganó and actress Tita Maravilha, who will perform the text. Then Nigerian philosopher, writer and activist Báyò Akómoláfé and feminist anthropologist Elizabeth Povinelli will lead an exploratory conversation about the contemporary dilemmas we face as a civilisation, exploring ways of resisting, adapting and reinventing ourselves in the face of global social, ecological and political challenges. Moderating will be artist and performer Ritó Natálio.
On the previous day, Valete, one of the biggest names in Portuguese hip-hop, will present the outcomes of a collaborative project with students from the EB23 Pintor Almada Negreiros School. The concert, to be held at the school itself, is the culmination of several weeks of workshops led by the musician, during which the students explored their identities and what it means to be European. This project highlights the perspectives of immigrant and gypsy communities who live in a territory deeply marked by cultural diversity. Through lyrics and rhymes, the students, under the guidance of Valete, will present a musical performance that reflects their vision of contemporary Europe, addressing issues of belonging, inclusion and identity.
Over the three days of the event, Quinta Alegre [the former Marquês do Alegrete Palace in the parish of Santa Clara] is transformed into a space for exhibiting, reflecting and sharing the artistic experiences resulting from the four journeys of The European Pavillion 2024: Liquid Becomings, which took place along the Danube, Vistula, Rhine and Tagus rivers. While the rivers have acted as living laboratories for the artists, the festival in Lisbon becomes a vibrant space for encounters— where artists and curators present the materials collected on their journeys – such as notes, drawings, films and sounds – in an exhibition and share the experience and results in a conversation open to the public.
At Lisbon’s Clube Oriental, the party is on with concerts by Batucadeiras das Olaias, a Cape Verdean Batuku performance group based in Lisbon, Serbian composer and performer Marija Balubdžić, Roda de Samba with the feminist collective Gira and a presentation of the result of their collaboration with composer Marija Balubdžić, the immersive experience Silent Disco by Alfredo Martins from Teatro Meia Volta, and DJ Sets by Lil Bukakke, Ekco Deck, Didi and Nicolle Velcro.
Also noteworthy are the two audio walks, Terra Nullius, by Paula Diogo. At dawn and sunset, the Portuguese actress and performer continues to expand her contribution for contemporary performance practices offering a sensory, poetic and reflective experience that combines movement with collective narrative, exploring the notion of unclaimed territories.
All these moments invite the public to explore new perspectives and engage in dialogue with artists about what Europe can and should be through art, music, literature, and debate. The European Pavilion 2024: Liquid Becomings invites to envision a future shaped by shared experiences, emphasising that to navigate complexities, we must cultivate ways of togetherness that celebrate our diversity and foster solidarity.
