JOSÉ OLIVEIRAWhat has art given us, what have we given to art? Friendships.

The exhibition had as its starting point the overlapping of the exhibition period with the 40th anniversary of the artist. Thinking about birthday parties and what this period of life signifies - in particular for people/artists who move mainly in independent spaces - what was left to think about were the resulting friendships in contexts of artistic creation.

For Sismógrafo’s space he has created an installation that could be his Gallery/Café/Workshop/Home, to then invite his friends to come over and have a good time, celebrating their friendships through socializing and activities and actions free of expectation.

A gathering about the importance of friendship as a creative force, as promoter of support and motivation networks. Something we could call economies of friendship in the context of visual arts.

As of now, counting already with the participation of Luísa Abreu, Maria José Pinto, Veronique Homann, Miguel Ângelo, André Fonseca, Francisco Laranjeira, Vitor Israel, Gonçalo Araújo, Silvia Sousa, Lukas Weithas, Albert Allgaier, Lena Seeberger, Pedro Cardoso, Dário Cannatà, Ana Allen, Selina Reiterer, Pisitakun Kuantalaeng, Andreas Trobollowitsch, Elvin Brandhi, Bruno Silva, Rick Lins, Lena Sieder-Semlitsch, Sara Rafael, Svenja Tiger, Francisco Babo, Andres Montes, Susana Chiocca, Orlando V. Francisco and a few more invites still to be confirmed.

José Oliveira (Braga, 1986) is a visual artist and programmer of independent spaces. Through his artistic practice, he has critically explored their production and valorization modes. In often collective projects, he creates situations that aim to reflect on the nature of the work of art, as well as its modes of exhibiting. His programming work merges with his artistic practice, mutually influencing each other through the concerns and dynamics associated with practices of independent spaces. In his work, he has been building a critical context for the relationship between Art and Labour.