1 Alexandra de Serpa Pimentel (PT)

“Celebration”

Necklace 54cm

Cotton twine and thread, fabric, wood and acrylic paint

HONOURED WOMAN: Anonymous women

STATEMENT: Celebration. Celebrating the courage of all the women who dared to follow their dreams.

2 Ana Albuquerque (PT)

“Box to store Clara Menéres bracelet”

Box for a bracelet 15x45x30cm,

Aluminum, cork, linen, wool, silk and gold

HONOURED WOMAN: Clara Menéres

STATEMENT: I chose to honor Clara Menéres in admiration for her values, ethics, courage, honesty, rigor, knowledge, energy and creativity. Clara Menéres' bracelet was a gift from her mother. Since she was a child, she never took it off, first by choice, later because her body grew too big. The size of her small hand transformed into the perimeter of an adult wrist. A loving way to honor her is to carefully preserve the "slave" bracelet that accompanied her until life’s fragility became overpowering and she needed to cut it off. The gesture of adjusting the bracelet, with the thumb and middle finger of her opposite hand, was striking, almost serving as a pause to ponder before proceeding to speak.

3 Ana Calbucci (BR)

“Repetition”

Brooch 22x8x5cm

TPU flexible, transparent and dyed filament, fresh water pearl and silver

HONOURED WOMAN: Marielle Franco

STATEMENT: History repeating... history. Continuously repeating violence with endless virulence, for more than a century and a half as children of barbarity, with only a veneer of civilization - "...is history mute or are we deaf?" Marielle Franco could have been the daughter of the women who fought against the military dictatorship, but our society has not changed so much. Nor was her life saved. Have we learnt nothing? Summary execution, the militia, impunity, and the crime bureau are the underground forces that rule supreme. Woman, black, from the “favela”, street vendor, educator, sociologist, councilor - Marielle gave a voice to many others with her work and activism, with her existence. As everything that stands out attracts attention, what stands out from the crowd is taken - so her life was stolen. When she was killed, it was said that other Marielles would emerge, that it is a movement that cannot be contained. That from the crowd of invisible women, a great body would take shape, like the birth of new pearls in this immense, murky ocean. Could it be?

4 Ana Campos (PT)

“Amen”

Hand object 8x8x2 cm

Silver and wood

HONOURED WOMAN: Madalena Cabral

STATEMENT: Madalena Cabral became an example to me in the field of art, culture and Portuguese and international democracy. She was also a family person, so she became a role model for me from an early age. Together with Harry Holtzman, I dedicated my doctoral thesis in philosophy on contemporary jewellery to her. In this piece I try to revitalise memories of Madalena. The original, a Finnish wooden shell, was given to me by her when I was a child.

5 Ana Cardim (PT)

“HAPPY CHRISTMAS – That’s When A WOMAN Wants It!”

Necklace - Blowing Device 34x1.4x0.5cm

Silver, natural latex, silk ribbon baton box

HONOURED WOMAN: Zita Seabra

STATEMENT: She was a pioneering activist responsible for presenting and defending, in the Portuguese Parliament, the extreme need for parliamentary legislation on the issues of women's freedom of choice in relation to maternity and the inhumane reality surrounding clandestine abortion at the time. This work focuses on Zita Seabra's speeches during the parliamentary debates on 6 February 1982 and 25 January 1984.

6 Ana Margarida Carvalho (PT)

“Over Land and Sea”

Candlesticks - Object 1, 11x11x6cm / Object 2, 8.5x8.7x5.8cm

Copper, enamel, candles

HONOURED WOMAN: Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

STATEMENT: Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen has always been part of my imagination, through the stories she wrote for children or other texts that crossed my life, but also through her interventions in civil society. As I learnt more about her life and work, I discovered a person who was aware of the world in which she lived in. Truth and justice were her fundamental values, she helped build a better country, but above all she was a light that guided generations.  A bright spark, in vigil, that still shines today.

7 Ana Pina (PT)

“fight/mourning”

Necklace75x15x1cm (variable width)

PLA Filament

HONOURED WOMAN: Ana Hatherly

STATEMENT: “O Pavão Negro” (“The Black Peacock”), poem written for an exhibition of the writer/ painter Ana Hatherly, presented in Porto in 1999, serves as a motto for “luta luto”, piece to “see-read” that plays with the words and its meanings, in an allusion to the “silent scream” that found voice in the daybreak of the 25th of April of 1974. 50 years. 50 times we write, read, repeat “luta luto”, until the words break free from its weight, “now dissolved in the seduction of the aesthetic object”. Word, blur, “suspended waterfall”, in which the black ink that writes, gains the three-dimensionality and movement that the drawing only alluded to. Built as a necklace, we look here at a conceptual object, for its dimension and fragility - even though its strength resides in its impermanence as well. For the collar it’s simply used the PLA filament before it is placed in the 3D printing pen, for its ergonomic shape and the desire to simplify the choice of techniques and materials - as if the piece was a continuous drawing, ready to become alive. Placed in the body as in a sheet of paper: “Only then does it unfold / the radiant charm / of its fragile mystery”. (The quotes throughout the text are from Ana Hatherly, taken from the preface and poem in three parts “O Pavão Negro”, included in the book with the same name. Free translation by the author.)
Note: “luta luto” is a wordplay in Portuguese, “luta” referring to “fight” (noun) and “luto” with two meanings: also “fight” (but now in the verb form, first person singular, as in “I fight”) and/or “grief/mourning” (noun).

8 Anton Kuzmin (RUS)

“Conscience choker”

Necklace 13.4x21.9cm

925 Silver and enamel

HONOURED WOMAN: Yelena Osipova

STATEMENT: The “Сonscience choker“ was made after an anti-war poster by Russian artist and activist from St. Petersburg Elena Osipova. I met her once when I lived in St Petersburg. People called her "The Conscience of St Petersburg". On 2 March 2022, Osipova was among the women arrested for protesting against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The images of her arrest were widely shared on social media.

At her 78 years of age, she continues to actively express her position, draws posters, and goes out to solo actions for more than 20 years already. But the conscience of many in Russia today is "choked" by new laws; for those who have something to lose, it is very difficult to relax their necks and breathe freely. This choker represents the fact that if you "put it on" and express your opinion to the public, it will be very “uncomfortable”.

9 António do Rosário (PT)

“Titina Silá”

Pendant 8.5x6.5x4 cm

Silver, steel and acrylic glass

HONOURED WOMAN: Ernestina Silá (Titina Silá)

STATEMENT: The expression "the 25th of April was born in Africa" is heard more and more, and it would be pertinent to add that the birth was also carried out by women.. This medal is intended to honor Titina Silá who, as well as commanding her comrades in the armed struggle, was also a mother who never failed to nurture her children. The jewel consists of a metallic steel body, which refers to the various "prisons" in life, symbolizing a stone from the Farim /Cacheu river where Titina Silá and nine of her comrades lost their lives when they were surprised by the Portuguese navy on their way to Amílcar Cabral's funeral in Guinea Conakry. The reproduced image shows her maternal side, with a child on her lap whose clothing is her camouflage.

10 Áurea Praga (PT)

“The eyes that see things are”

Necklace 20x76x2cm

Pages from the book “Aborto, O crime está na Lei” (Abortion, The Crime is in the Law), silver, polyester thread

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria Antónia Fiadeiro

STATEMENT: The written word has always been Maria Antónia Fiadeiro’s main form of expression. While the daily life of Portuguese women was lived in silence, the journalist, writer and feminist Fiadeiro used her voice with bravery and frankness. Her book "Abortion, the crime is in the Law" recounts the circumstances of clandestine abortions, clandestine traumas and the hidden normality of the following day. In this piece I also hide her words, revealing them in another way and through another means of expression. Each of the paper elements containing Fiadeiro's printed speech represents a death, a place of mourning. The totality of elements that make up the piece corresponds to the daily average of clandestine abortions performed in Portugal in the 70s.

11 Barbara Macedo (PT)

“Freedom always?”

Necklace 20x4x1cm

Petals of two red carnations, resin, brass and cotton thread

HONOURED WOMAN: Adelaide Cardoso e Lurdes Corgas (artists’ grandmothers)

STATEMENT: The greatest inheritance I received from my grandmothers was freedom and I am very grateful for their struggle, so that today, like them, I can be a free woman. That's why I wanted to pay homage to them, representing them through two broken carnations placing each petal hanging individually on a cotton thread, so that over time the petals end up falling, making the necklace increasingly smaller in order to remind us that freedom is a fragile asset and that we should not take it for granted, always continuing to fight for it.

12 Camillla Prey (IT)

“Sophie”

Installation 150x104cm

Paper

HONOURED WOMAN: Sophie Scholl

STATEMENT: The work is based on the story of resistance fighter Sophie Scholl. Together with her brother Hans Scholl and friend Alexander Schmorell, they formed the nucleus of the "Weiße Rose" resistance group. Their actions in favor of freedom and resistance against the Nazi regime consisted of writing texts with anti-nazi content and distributing them in the form of pamphlets at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. In 1943, the members of the "Weiße Rose" were denounced and arrested. Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans were sentenced to death and beheaded by guillotine on the same day. The installation contains the symbol of a leaflet and at the same time the siblings' death sentence. The lightness of the falling pamphlets and the weight of the events are at the centre of the artwork. This is emphasized by the possibility given to the viewer to experience the piece around the neck.

13 Carla Castiajo (PT)

“Human nature. Life around a centre”

Body piece 19x19x2cm

Hair, fabric, net, leather, silk thread

HONOURED WOMAN: Lourdes Castro

STATEMENT: Before the 25 April Revolution, many artistic activities had to be carried out in secret, clandestinely (in obscurity, in silence, in the shadows...). Lourdes Castro constantly researched the shadow. The shadow would become central to practically all of her work, as can be seen, for example, in her work "Shadows around a centre". Also noteworthy is the artist's relationship with nature, with plants, with flowers (blossoming and wilting), with her surroundings - the domestic, the private, the intimate, the ordinary, the mundane, the moments of her life... In fact, in Lourdes Castro's work, life and art are intertwined. There is a relationship between Art and Life, between her life and her day-to-day life, from waking up to going to bed, from sowing to reaping. Gestures such as combing her hair are visible in Catarina Mourão's film: "Lourdes Castro - Pelas Sombras" (“Lourdes Castro – Through Shadows”). And hair is present in many of our daily habits, such as washing it, cleaning it, combing it, cutting it... Like a vital force, all of human nature is recorded daily, repeatedly, and every human experience expressed can have political meanings.

14 Carlos Silva (PT)

“Freedom”

Necklace 34x24x7cm

Painted copper

HONOURED WOMAN: Celeste Caeiro

STATEMENT: From an accidental meeting between Celeste Caeiro and a soldier, the visual icon of this revolution emerges, when she offers a red carnation that the soldier places in the barrel of his gun. Soon many followed her example. In my piece I compose fragments of petals around a continuous rim, as a tribute to this woman who started the union of so many with a symbol as simple and happy as a red carnation.

15 Catarina Silva (PT)

“Aurora”

Handpiece 52x52x1cm

Glass Beads

HONOURED WOMAN: Aurora Rodrigues

STATEMENT: Aurora Rodrigues was a member of the MRPP (political party) as a young law student and was imprisoned several times, for political reasons,  subjected to brutal torture like few other women. An example of strength and dedication in the fight for the democratic values that govern the country today.

16 Claudia Schlabitz (PT/BR)

“Elis /. .-.. .. ... /“

Necklace/adornment 280x6x1cm

18K gold, 925 silver, beads, nylon thread

HONOURED WOMAN: Elis Regina

STATEMENT: I'm from the same city and grew up in the same neighbourhood as Elis Regina lived as a child. As a child, when I imagined a future scenario, I felt able to reach the world simply by recognising myself at the same starting point. I felt her strength and finitude, I lived through the conflicts of adolescence and her songs were my hymns of freedom. Elis Regina, interpreter of the song that would become the Amnesty Anthem, performed the play in morse code, a reference to censorship during the dictatorship. "Pimentinha", as she was affectionately called, for her irreverent spirit and sharp tongue, entered Brazilians' homes with her song "Esperança Equilibrista", at a time when the country was mourning its sons and daughters, lost, forgotten, and silenced by the military regime. Her voice was presence, soul and heart, a major star, a glow that remains in the hearts of all those who believe that the "show of all artists must go on".

17 Cristina R Nuño (ES/PT)

“Scent of April”

Brooch 23x7x5cm

925 Silver, Black Bamboo, Recycled PET Plastic, Clove Essence

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria Antónia Palla

STATEMENT: On the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, I wanted to honor the date by sprouting a Carnation from a rifle that is itself flexible and resistant: a bamboo rifle. The carnation, inseparable from the image of renewal and spring, also refers to the present day as it is made from recycled plastic and the scent of carnation added to the piece reinforces the flower's presence. The message I hope to be able to convey is that the struggle continues and it is imperative to carry it out with flexibility and adaptation.

18 Diana Silva (PT)

“Catarina’s Heart”

Necklace 48×18x12cm

Chestnut wood, 22k gold leaf, rabbit glue, silk thread, iron thread

HONOURED WOMAN: Catarina Eufémia

STATEMENT: I found the heart made of chestnut wood in the forest, its disproportionate proportions can be compared to Catarinas’s heart, for her greatness of spirit towards her companions. The fact that it is "covered it in gold" is yet another testimony to the greatness of Catarina's act in fighting for her rights and the rights of all Portuguese women at work, although there are still many injustices and a lack of fair rights for women in Portugal today. This heart represents the moment when Catarina was shot by a bullet. The heart has a hole that metaphorically represents the bullets that killed her. The fact that there are drops of blood all over the heart symbolizes the pain of all of us women, of all the injustices that we still suffer today.

19 Dulce Ferraz (PT)

”Untitled”

Object 8x28.5x25cm

Plan tree Platanus hispânica MILL, tilly tree Tilia cordata MILL, brass, MDF, and mirror

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria Barroso

STATEMENT: This tribute piece to Maria Barroso is part of a series of works that I have been developing, creating small constructions of scenic spaces on an intimate scale.

20 Elena Larrén García (ES)

“Living Identities”

Variable format - Textile: 26.5x36.5cm. Construction of necklaces and/or bracelets

Textile, silver, cyanotype and photography

HONOURED WOMAN: Helena Almeida

STATEMENT: This work claims and conceptually reworks the art of the Portuguese artist Helena Almeida. The piece is conceived as a versatile and ephemeral artwork that transcends disciplines, from jewelry and photography to sewing and embroidery. It reflects on how and from where the female identity has been constructed, also incorporating experiences from my own family memory. With the purpose of creating an aesthetic, gestural, and critical experience, it addresses the concept of transformation, raising awareness to build a more egalitarian society. A performative act involving the body to dismantle traditional roles and historically assigned labels to needlework practices as "secondary" or “non-artistic". The confrontation between the masculine and the feminine often appears in Helena Almeida's work. This opposition is symbolized by the contrast between gentleman's shirt cuffs and various appropriated images from the artist's work. Furthermore, the photographic technique of cyanotype allows for working symbolically and literally with the disappearance of the image. As ultraviolet rays slowly degrade the image, if the piece is in a "visible" place in the light of everyone, it can raise social awareness. Therefore, the disappearance of the image becomes a materialization of time, a symbol of social transformation, a step towards a world where the fight for gender equality is no longer necessary, leaving only the trace of embroidery as a reminder of the stories that have united women.

21 Eugénia Quartin (PT)

“Fourty years”

Set of necklace - 20x20cm, brooch - 8x8cm, earrings - 3x4cm

Silver, freshwater pearls and cotton

HONOURED WOMAN: Manuela Eanes

STATEMENT: Necklaces, earrings and pins were always part of Manuela Eanes' daily life, with the pearl necklace and earrings being the jewellery she wore most often and which I remember best. In honor of the important social work that Manuela Eanes did, I chose an articulated necklace made up of 40 pieces of silver that support 40 pearls and represent the 40 years that the Instituto de Apoio à Criança, her most important work, recently celebrated. A pair of earrings and a pin complete the set of three pieces that made up the image that she almost always presented herself with and that she always took personal care of.

22 Francesca Santa Subito (IT)

“Out of nothing”

Crown 25x25x15cm

Oil, fruits, acorns, stones, horse hair, porcupine quills, wasps’ nest, fossil shell

HONOURED WOMAN: Women of the Italian Resistance

STATEMENT: I have deliberately chosen to dedicate the piece to all the women of the Italian Resistance, and their names are not important here, nor is the specific biography of any of them. They were our grandmothers, our aunts, they were mothers, sisters, friends, each other's neighbours, some wielded the rifle, others were spies, some fed, others cared for, some died, some didn't even know they were Resistance, some were illiterate and yet they acted, not because of great ideals they were never taught about, but out of care for their community. The Resistance is all these small acts of care intertwined. I consider this to be an ephemeral work. The aim is to allow it to dissolve after the end of the exhibition, in a special place in Lisbon, so that it returns to nothingness.

23 Inês Almeida (PT)

“resistance”

11 pendants 2x2cm each pendant

Brass and cotton string

HONOURED WOMAN: Working women

STATEMENT: The female worker resistance sparked a greater interest in me due to their anonymity, the sense of unity and mutual help, the role they played in the fight for equality and freedom, and for taking me to a part of the life path of some family members. One of these people was my maternal grandmother, Arlinda (1928-2015). In the early 1950s she worked at the "German factory", near Barreiro, choosing cork stoppers. At that time, fear did not allow her to resist, fight or join political parties. One of the symbols of mutual help between the workers were the plates to control attendance and tardiness. The punctuality control system in the factories was carried out using small yellow metal plates, and was often bypassed with the solidarity of the workers who collected theirs and the sheet of their colleague who was late. It was a bold move as the consequences could be serious. After factory work, she continued without being a politicized woman, it was her sense of justice that, closer to 1974, moved her (along with my grandfather) to help hide friends and family who had fled the PIDE (political police). In this work, in which I represent the plates that were part of the workers' daily lives, the word "resistance" is written in their handwriting. For me, she was always resistant.

  "resistance" is for all working women, for those who actively resisted and for whom fear was their way of resisting and surviving times that we never want to return.

24 Inês Nunes (PT)

“Union”

Installation – Interactive artwork / The making of a necklace - with variable type and dimensions

50 foam microphone windshields and magnets

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo

STATEMENT: A reflection on everything that has been said - The silence of the sounds manifested by the firm voices seeking to be heard. The aim is for visitors to interact with the object during the exhibition in order to democratize the piece.

25 Iris Hummer (AT)

“Pearls of Balance”

Otolith chain 20×20×1cm

Otolith, 585 gold, fishing net

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria Aranha

STATEMENT: Maria Aranha is an everyday woman, a fisherwoman from Cascais, who through her work represents all the women who have always been and still are in male-dominated professions as something natural. They represent equality in the microcosm of society. They show that, when necessary, women can very well find their place in traditional occupations such as fishing. What is not evident is their visibility and the valorization of their work. These are the themes of my discussion, and I would like to honor the freedom of these women in the sense of democracy in my artistic work.

26 Iris Hummer (AT)

“Johanna Dohnal”

Signet ring consisting of a 3.5×3.5x4cm ring and a 4x4×1.4cm pin

Bronze ring, seal and brass pin

HONOURED WOMAN: Johanna Dohnal

STATEMENT: It's important to honor Johanna Dohnal with a "jewel of democracy" to remember a committed, strong and unique politician and to show young women their self-determination. She was troublesome and persistent and therefore often managed to successfully assert her demands. Her ideal of freedom was very strong. She repeatedly unmasked structures of inequality and worked against them. What is particularly impressive is that she was not shaken by setbacks and rejection. Even in 2023, her demands are still relevant. It's important to raise women's awareness and set an example of freedom. A quote from Johanna Dohnal in this context was: "The vision of feminism is not a female future. It's a human future."

27 Isa Duarte Ribeiro (PT)

“Immolatio”

Object 14.5x14.5x14.5 cm

Plexiglass cube, burnt books and gold leaf

HONOURED WOMAN: Judith Teixeira (Lena de Valois)

STATEMENT: Because she was a victim of the dictatorship and had the courage to assume her sexual orientation, consequently having her literary work confiscated and burned.

28 Isa Duarte Ribeiro (PT)

“another one. one more. another. one”

Necklace, around 7.3m long

Gold plated brass and silver

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria Manuel Viana

STATEMENT: For the constant struggle in defending and reporting cases of women and children who are victims of domestic violence. She always posted a sentence on the social media, with or without images: “yet another. one more. other. one. “ In 2022, her last year of life, she posted this phrase 28 times (24 women and 4 children).

29 Joana Santos / Rossana Mendes Fonseca (PT)

“Cocoon”

Necklace 50x10x3 cm

Resin, mirror/glass, pvc

HONOURED WOMAN: Helena Almeida

STATEMENT: In Cocoon, the body, and more specifically the female body, is the sensitive matter of plastic unfolding. The color, geometry and organicity of matter are explored. From an eccentric centre that mirrors and reflects the surrounding environment and that concentrates the color, multiple branches develop, forming the structural network of the cocoon.

30 Joana Albuquerque (PT)

“Water carrying bags”

Object - 85x60x35cm(min.)/105cm (máx.)

Water, paper and wax

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria Lamas

STATEMENT: Maria Lamas was an anti-fascist, feminist and fighter for human and civil rights during the Estado Novo. She photographed and wrote about the Portuguese women, denouncing the image of women only as "housewives" promoted by the fascist regime, giving visibility and attention to working women and their daily lives. "Sacos de Papel" (Paper Bags) is based on photographs from Maria Lamas' book, "As Mulheres do meu País" (The Women of my Country), which depict women carrying baskets, bundles or sacks on their heads to carry their lunch, coal, fish or vegetables. The act of carrying is intrinsic to human beings. It's interesting to see how what we carry and how we carry reflects the times in which we live. Today we also move around the city carrying things in rucksacks, suitcases and paper bags.
According to anthropologist Elizabeth Fischer, in "The Carrier Bag Theory'', instead of sharp objects made of chipped stone, contrary to what is generally publicised, humans' first cultural device was probably a container, such as a pouch, net or carrier bag, which allowed them to transport the vegetables they harvested. The first human tools were therefore probably more associated with acts of gathering, carrying, caring for and preserving than with violence.

31 Kaia Ansip (EST/PT)

“Wings to fly”

2 Brooches 10x5cm

Silver, stainless steel

HONOURED WOMAN: Snu Abecassis

STATEMENT: Wings to fly appears in the shape of books and wings. Snu Abecassis as a publisher gave ideas the wings to fly for aren’t books carriers of new thoughts. She was in the sky when she died. That idea seems at the same time frightening and beautiful. With this work I would love to go back in time and make that plane fly and land in its destination in Porto. Snu was still so young. What else would have she done in the young democracy of Portugal?

32 Kika Rufino (BR)

“Tomado de assalto”

11x6x7cm

Quartz native to Brazil

HONOURED WOMAN: Anna Bella Geiger

STATEMENT: While creating the piece for this biennial, I was taken aback by the collection of "Gold and stones from Brazil" in the museum hosting this exhibition, as well as by what is hidden in the text that presents it.  “Tomado de assalto”, in Portuguese, is an expression that primarily means "to be surprised". This meaning is revealed to us through our experience of the sculpture. In it, a ring appears contained in quartz native to Brazil. The ring, however, is constituted precisely by its emptiness. A surprise, a sudden sensation on our retina that immediately contradicts itself, inviting us to change position. Could it be real? The ring, I'm told, marvels and baffles. The experience allows us to re-examine the surroundings we thought we already knew.  It invites us to think about what has been created, found, removed, dislocated, repositioned and how such a whole is (re)concealed from us. I pay homage to Anna Bella Geiger who, during the dictatorship, taught us an art that erodes certainties, creating works that focus on what results from unlikely encounters between things and bodies. Because I suspect that, without this critical perspective, our democracies will remain founded on alienating prejudices.

33 Lázaro Bonixe (PT)

“The commitment”

Brooch 20x20cm

Brass, copper and pearls

HONOURED WOMAN: Manuela Eanes

STATEMENT: The brooch “The commitment” is an ode to the courage and dedication of Maria Manuela Eanes in the fight for democracy in Portugal. This piece symbolizes the resistance, purity and brilliance of the democratic movement, honoring Eanes' inspiring legacy as a visionary leader.

34 Leticia Costa (BR)

“MEMORIES”

Object/Necklace 50x30cm

Craft paper printed with newspaper images (1964-1985), resin, red thread, brass with patina

HONOURED WOMAN: Lucia Murat de Vasconcelos

STATEMENT: “MEMORIES” - A piece of art I created, inspired by a sad moment in our history: the military dictatorship; photographic memories of violence and disrespect. In this piece, I pay homage to Lucia Murat, a young woman who fought against this oppression at the time, imprisoned and tortured, that became an award-winning filmmaker. In this work I have used as references photographs that refer to this memory, red threads to violence, and blue flowers, that symbolize Lucia Murat's eyes and hope.

35 Lia Morais (PT)

“Women on the Move”

Oxidized silver; waxed linen thread; bread; linen cloth; glass containers.

Narrative record | 2’07’’, Digital MP4 file

HONOURED WOMAN: Women on the Move

STATEMENT: ... when we were almost reaching the border, my mother hid me under the seat of the van and told me:

- Stay here and be quiet, when we get to France I'll give you a bicycle.

 This event, told by Carmo, has remained in my memory... I was moved by the daughter's surrender and the mother's courage. A testimony of unconditional love. Love that surpassed closed borders, explored uncertain paths, travelled rough terrain, overcame prejudices and the clouded mentalities of that time. A love that for two years, challenged by uncertainty and anguish, fought against oblivion. Maria de Fátima, unable to be with her daughter, decides alone and clandestinely to return to Portugal to take little Maria do Carmo home with her. Brave woman! Brave women! In this secret story, so often repeated, two women - two generations – went on the move in search of a better life. The work presented consists of a jewel - an object for two bodies - and a digital narrative record - a means of reuniting/revisiting the past. The jewel-object interconnects and surrounds two female bodies (Carmo and her mother). It consists of a thread topped, at its two ends, by two hops that fit respectively each of the hand’s fingers of the bodies. In the middle of the thread and pierced by it, there is a bread roll, caressed by the two hands that are joined together. On the linen tablecloth: a thread joins two rings, two bodies, two departures, two destinies. In the centre, the Bread that feeds the House is consecrated. This place maintains the connection and protects the love between mothers and children.

36 Lúcia Abdenur (BR)

“Angelic Look - Talisman” and “Symbolic Act - Veil”

Pendant - 10x11cm, cotton thread of various sizes, 45x40cm“Angelic Look - talisman”

Brass, gold leaf, silver, acrylic tube, photograph, cotton thread, PVOH (polyvinyl alcohol film).  

“Symbolic act Veil” - PVOH (polyvinyl alcohol film), ballpoint ink, cotton thread

HONOURED WOMAN: Zuzu Angel

STATEMENT: My work consists of two moments: the “Angelic Look - talisman” and the “symbolic act - Veil”. With “Angelic Look” I pay homage to Zuzu Angel and all the women who fight for their dreams and ideals. As to always remember the inner strength that each of us carries and the importance of fighting for what we believe in. The talisman inspired by the Angel, the logo of Zuzu's studio, has at its center an acrylic tube with a subtle photo of Zuzu's gaze in tireless search for her son. In the “Symbolic act - Veil”, on PVOH (polyvinyl alcohol film) I wrote "Ditadura nunca +" and embroidered random paths with red thread. After embroidering these paths, the piece was dipped in water, as if it had been washed, leaving only the red thread.  This symbolic act represents an attempt to purify the memories and scars left by the dictatorship, a way of getting rid of the "sad things" that marked this dark period in our history. But washing away the memories of the dictatorship doesn't mean erasing the past, quite the opposite. We need to maintain the memory of those who suffered and fought against the authoritarian regime, so that new generations can learn from the mistakes of the past and strengthen democratic values.

37 Luís Torres (PT)

“Medal”

Necklace 14.5x59x2.8cm

Synthetic hair, aluminium, silver and polyester

HONOURED WOMAN: Cesina Bermudes

STATEMENT: Cesina was a huge but extremely unpretentious woman who helped a lot of women during the dictatorship, throughout her practice as an obstetrician, which was mostly pro bono; that is why I chose not to use precious materials except for the braid hook and opted for the white ribbon, alluding to medicine. The braid, which is the focal point of the piece, as she was known for her "famous braid" (artificial), is the great tribute - but hair in historical terms has a much greater weight and charge, and especially women's hair. As she was a feminist, this braid is an affirmation of female emancipation, emancipation that she greatly helped by wanting to study in Paris and to introduce the technique of painless childbirth in Portugal. The necklace, strategically, has the pendant in the belly area, to symbolize all the human beings she helped gave birth to. But the pendant on this necklace is above all a medal, which as well as showing and "rewarding" all the work she did, is also a way of showing her more personal side - because Cesina was a fierce competitor in swimming, cycling and car racing at a time when women didn't practice these kinds of activities. Cesina was a woman with a big "W", a woman who literally had power in her hands and who changed the way women experience one of the most beautiful moments of their lives - demystifying the ideology around childbirth before this technique was used!

38 Luísa Quartin (PT)

“Aura”

Necklace/ Crown 35cmx28cm

Brass and glass crystals

HONOURED WOMAN: Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

STATEMENT: Stories make us dream, and for dreaming, age is of no importance. My choice is rooted in my childhood, influenced by the stories of Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen. While it's an individual choice, the stories, poems, and tales of Sophia de Mello Breyner are part of a collective memory. We received a sea of lessons and many drops of imagination. Drops that, to this day, continue to nourish the artistic roots of each one of us. Sophia's works are greatly influenced by the place where she grew up and her childhood. With a warm and golden soul, she was able to illuminate reality and express her yearning for freedom. She was a person with a great imagination, and the stories she created were her great companions. Today, they are ours.

39 Manuela Sousa (PT)

“Red”

Pendant - 12x8 cm (in a box measuring 29.5x18.5x3 cm

Slate and lacquered brass

HONOURED WOMAN: All Women

STATEMENT: The conquest and exercise of democracy has only been possible with the participation of all women, not only those who, due to their social and cultural status, have become leading figures in the democratic process, but also all those who, anonymously, in the family, in the workplace and in the community, actively participate in the maintenance and permanent defense of their rights.

40 Maria Benedita (PT)

“Snu”

Necklace 18cmx30cm

Whitened silver, pearls and a book

HONOURED WOMAN: Snu Abecassis

STATEMENT: I chose Snu because among the admirable women who contributed to the freedom of our country, Snu touched on several important points. She founded the Dom Quixote publications (showing the role of women as entrepreneurs) and, in addition to bringing us culture through books, she published works with ideas contrary to the dictatorship of the Estado Novo regime. She got divorced, which was not common at the time. And she had a love affair. In tribute to Snu Abecassis, this piece is composed of a choker hidden inside a book from the "cadernos" collection of the Editora D. Quixote. "Guerra ou paz?" [War or Peace?] was the chosen book because it is unfortunately quite current and loaded with symbolism. As for the choker, the words democracy, culture, and freedom on the three central medals symbolize some of the doors that Snu helped to open in a country that lived under dictatorship and was closed to the world. Some letters are presented in mirror to represent something we have in common: dyslexia. The bear symbolizes the personal childhood object "Teddy", given to  her by her parents and kept by Snu since her childhood as a symbol of a belief that had grown with her, that she could improve the world. The bouquet of flowers represents the flowers that Snu brought to the publisher every day. The pearls and the whitening refer to snow and symbolize her Nordic origin.

41 Maria José Oliveira (PT)

“Brain”

Object, 55x78x5,5 cm

Raw cotton canvas, lime, silica sand, oxide, graphite, coffee, silk paper

HONOURED WOMAN: Mother

STATEMENT: Drawing to study forms before the formation of knowledge according to Jung

42 Marília Maria Mira (PT)

“Matraca”

Necklace 22x63x1.5cm

Steel, silver, sponge, and leather

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria Lamas

STATEMENT: "Matraca" - Reap (verb, agricultural tool) To cut close. Tilling the land. Cultivate, treat. To put in order. Prepare for a particular purpose. Tidy up, arrange, clean. Improve appearance. To put together. To obtain something. Achieve, win. Adapt. Fit in, manage. "For every story about how much a woman works, there's a story about how much she doesn't; for every story about everything she's lived, there's a story about everything she hasn't lived. … To say woman before any other qualifier is to continue to say - as in the past - that the body takes precedence over everything else." (in *Black scarves, straw hats and gold earrings, p. 48, 49, SUSANA MOREIRA MARQUES, 2023, Penguim Random House) Dedicated to the people, to the women of yesterday, today, tomorrow and to the Revolution always.

43 Miriam Mirna Korolkovas (BR)

“Trees, Our Air”

Two necklaces 18x23cm e 12x22cm

Acrylic, wood, plastic and silver

HONOURED WOMAN: Marina Silva

STATEMENT: The wooden branches were collected from dead trees and the red and black plastic present indicates the suffering of the bleeding trees, burnt by the devastating fire. The works are about how human beings deal with their neighbours and the environment on which they depend for their survival. All creation is connected for the good of everything and everyone that makes up planet Earth. In this case, I chose vegetation, trees. We live in a period of constant exploitation of forests and its consequences. We depend on greenery! We depend on love between us and the environment to survive in peace in an expanded democracy.

44 Miriam Andraus Pappalardo (BR)

“LINA”

Necklace 27x72x13cm

Aquamarine, iron, aluminum, silver, fabric and sewing thread

HONOURED WOMAN: Lina Bo Bardi

STATEMENT: Although Lina Bo Bardi was born in Italy, she chose Brazil as her home. Among her many qualities as a woman architect, her work stands out as one of the main exponents of Brazilian architecture. Lina was revolutionary in both her thoughts and her actions. As brutalist as she was delicate, she proposed a libertarian and humanist approach to the use of space and design issues, always researching, valuing and creating links with popular cultures, their traditions and wisdom. I thought of a piece that could be an offering to Lina, that would speak of the truth of the materials, of the diversity of techniques and traditional crafts that Lina learnt so much from and praised, of her interest in a multiple and profound Brazil, of the mandacaru flower, of her graphic aquamarine necklace. The "unfinished" as the limit of what is necessary, and how this can have its own aesthetic meaning, assuming imperfections as a grace of the event. A lamp cartridge, an assemblage of memories about Lina in me.

45 Nicole Uurbanus (NL/BR)

“Pearl Necklace – Elza Soares”

Necklace 55x20x1.5 cm

Copper, silicone, thread

HONOURED WOMAN: Elza Soares

STATEMENT: A woman, A singer,  A mother,  A warrior,  A lady,  A voice. Elza Soares, having faced hardships, powerful, admired (“I will not succumb”). Through her unique voice, she knew how to show Brazil exactly as she lived it, and as it is (“I use my voice to say that which is silent”) – a country which is both enchanting and cruel, beautiful and unequal, the past eternally present (“The black meat is the cheapest”). In the choices she made, Elza presented us with pearls (“I leave my pain in a rain of confetti”) in the lines she found to express herself (“Imagine the internal marks”) and the place she needed to fill (“Mouth a lethal weapon”) in this Brazil which is so in need of people like her (“Born looking hungry”).  Pearls: eternal reproduction and repetition, taken from the weapon. Weapon: resistance. Thread: trajectory.

46 Paula Castro (PT)

“The unspeakable”

Brooch 14x 5.9x2.5cm

Silver, eucalyptus bark

HONOURED WOMAN: Lourdes Castro

STATEMENT: The delicacy of the fragile plants and their light shadows, as the breath of freedom. To transform the weight of life into something beautiful and light, with almost nothing. Just the will (or the need), to create the sayable and the unspeakable with indelible traces. The symbol, the strength, the fluidity, the freedom.

47 Pilar Andaluz (PT)

“The path”

Necklace - 15x5cm, Brooch - 13x5cm, Stand - 39x14cm

Painted copper, silver, enamel, synthetic cord (necklace); painted copper, silver, enamel (brooch); painted copper, iron (stand)

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria Helena Vieira da Silva

STATEMENT: In this project that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Portuguese Revolution, we have chosen to celebrate the feminine. Our thoughts have traced the lives of so many faceless, anonymous women who, invisible as they may be, are still able to approach the parallel plane of improbable dreams where the greatest accomplishments are fostered and from where major change draws its impulse. This is how revolutions are born. We based our work on the 1932 painting ‘Self-portrait’ (“Autorretrato”). It is her outset, her great moment of choice, the start of the path that will be the outline of her life. Her entire trajectory seems to be contained within this painting. The girl in the red dress is a metaphor for life itself. Surrounded by chasms as she clings onto an unsteady rope ladder, she resolutely makes her way through the time machine.

48 Renata Meirelles (BR)

“Memory Truth Justice –  An Homage to Clarice Herzog”

Necklace 64x40cm

Cotton yarn, rice straw yarn, polyamide and copper

HONOURED WOMAN: Clarice Herzog

STATEMENT: Anyone who didn't live through the years of dictatorship can't imagine what really happened. Preserving the memory of what happened in Brazil between 1964 and 1985 is an instrument for overcoming what we inherited from the dictatorship.  Clarice was a victim of this violence by the dictatorship and waged a struggle inside and outside Brazil in the name of Justice, Truth and Memory, forming the three pillars of the Herzog Institute, which she created in honor of her husband Vladimir as an act of love and resistance. We need to keep telling future generations what happened. As a way of preserving this memory, I pay my respects to Clarice Herzog. We need many Clarices in this world. People who don't give up fighting for justice, who work for freedom of expression and the right to information. A tribute that I want to extend to the people who were affected by the repression, and who, even though it is difficult to relive moments of pain, chose not to remain silent. The links that make up the piece represent all the people who suffer or have suffered from violence and injustice, becoming symbols of resistance and unity. The link of democracy between all those fighting for freedom, preventing impunity, human rights violations and violent and repressive practices from persisting in the present. Dictatorship never again. We can't let the memory fade. "When we lose the ability to be outraged by atrocities against others, we also lose the right to consider ourselves civilized human beings" - Vladimir Herzog

49 Renata Porto (BR)

“Silence”

Hand piece, 23x10x4cm

Wood, fabric, copper, silver and gold

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria da Conceição Coelho da Paz

STATEMENT: For being who she was and for giving voice to so many other women and mothers who were fighting against the dictatorship in the country. Maria was always close to her son, one of the men most wanted by the army during the Brazilian dictatorship, and little is known about her. Silence, like a tomb, secrets and pain that are taken with her on her deathbed. When the heavy lid is removed, some testimonies about what happened, about this woman who never had her strength and struggle recognized, are revealed in a mantle book. After encountering the powerful revelations, you finally find her voice, which can be heard even by those who don't want to hear it. A handpiece, a scarred, tortured and dignified finger, a golden hoop that binds and fits, making the gesture of the one who cries out in Silence.

50 Sandra Manin Frias (BR)

“Amazon”

Pendants 5x8x0.5cm

Silver evokes universal greed, Wood Reutilized Brazil wood - evokes regional greed in Brazil

HONOURED WOMAN: Bertha Luz

STATEMENT: The environmental issue has a symbiotic relationship with the social issue. In the Amazon, the destruction of the environment, which has been going on for years, acts as a tool for perpetuating inequalities. We therefore believe that preserving the Amazon carries with it a more complex value than the act of conservation alone. The current challenge is to promote preservation beyond the environmental scope, thinking of conservation as an instrument of economic and social development.

51 Sónia Brum (PT)

“Untitled”

3 Pendants 13x15x0.10cm / 9x10x0.10cm / 12x10x0.10cm

Glass beads and cotton thread

HONOURED WOMAN: 3 Marias – Maria Isabel Barreno, Maria Teresa Horta and Maria Velho da Costa

STATEMENT: Three pendants that, from the drawing, refer to the condition of women. What is consented to or denied. Violence. Injustice and various inequalities, in images that are difficult to recognize, hidden in the deformation of the material.

52 Sunhi Jaeger (DE)

“Poetry is in the streets”

Necklace 70cm long with pendant 12x12x0.4cm

Clove petals, handmade paper, cotton

HONOURED WOMAN: Margarida Gil

STATEMENT: In an interview with TSF radio on 23 March 2022, Margarida Gil talks about the achievements of the democracy movement. The movement has led to positive developments, particularly in terms of equal opportunities for women and men. “We are no longer the only woman, we are less and less the only woman,” says Margarida Gil, looking back on the time when she was a rarity as a filmmaker. The freedom to be free, in the words of the philosopher Hannah Arendt, is a fragile commodity that can be lost without constant commitment and attention. The process is supported by all those who give voice to the will to be free. My work is dedicated to Margarida Gil, who is a pioneer in this process and gives a voice to freedom.

53 Susana Gorjão (PT)

“Door to freedom”

Pendant 5x9cm

Silver and brass

HONOURED WOMAN: Odete Santos

STATEMENT: “The longing for the future arises from the need to transform the world and, in anticipation of this future world based on the realities we know, the utopias that will be the realities of tomorrow”. This work represents the constitutional recognition of the existence of women in society with equal rights to men. This constituted a very important contribution to changing the status of women in Portugal. A door to freedom.

54 Telma Aguiar (BR)

“Freedom and Peace”

Necklace 22.5x19.5 cm

Wood, FSC seal for forest products, red string made from sustainable cotton and dyed with pigment from the pau Brazil tree, jarina seeds

HONOURED WOMAN: Ministra Marina Silva

STATEMENT: For having excelled in politics, despite being illiterate until the age of 16, having contracted several serious illnesses and having managed to overcome all this, and for working tirelessly in defense of the Amazon, winning several awards.

55 Teresa Dantas (PT)

“Latibule of the Virile”

Sculpture/keeps secrets 29x18.5x20cm

Resin, cast bronze, copper, wood, pigments, leather thread, iron

HONOURED WOMAN: Paula Rego

STATEMENT: Paula Rego, born in Portugal in 1935, was a contemporary Portuguese painter whose work is distinguished by its powerful approach in representing intricate feminine narratives. In the painting titled "Get out of here, you and your filth,” the force of the woman's scream leaves a profound impression. Teresa Dantas, born in Mozambique in 1965, interprets this artwork through a metal sculpture crafted from bronze, copper, and resin. In her rendition, the scream, the secret, and the harmonization of the feminine and masculine elements take centre stage. The strength and intensity depicted in the painting are eloquently translated into a piece of contemporary sculpture.

56 Teresa Milheiro (PT)

“Hunting Tool”

Blowgun 40x5cm. Complete piece - blowgun, eye support collar and tripod 88x64x44cm

Ebony, bamboo, glass, painted brass, lacquered brass, acrylic paint

HONOURED WOMAN: Natália Correia

STATEMENT: When I think of Natália Correia, I inevitably associate her with her mouthpiece. This object became her trademark, giving her a character of security, independence, attitude, firmness, courage, freedom, eroticism, controversy, challenge, polemic, romance and good living. I found myself thinking about the transmutation of this object into a blowgun. As if Natália were an imposing Amazon, with her hunting tool, her keen intelligence, with sharp answers always on the tip of her tongue, blowing darts, eyes to the surveillance and control exercised by the PIDE , who intruded into her life, without being able to arrest her, as well as in relation to society, customs and prejudices of the time.

57 Tereza Seabra (PT)

“Her name was Catarina”

Necklace 17x1cm

Pearls made of wheat flour, silver, gold, marcasites, and zircon

HONOURED WOMAN: Catarina Eufémia

STATEMENT: The classic pearl necklace was, in the (40s/50s), the iconic jewel of the bourgeois elite. The unusual combination of the two materials - manually shaped flour pearls symbolizing labor and bread. The meticulously crafted clasp, following the classic bourgeois taste, made of noble materials such as silver, gold, marcasite, and zircon from the (40s/50s), symbolizes the dominant landowning class in Alentejo. The ironic contrast evokes the socio-economic differences in Alentejo at the time of Catarina's death. The result of this work is a harmonious pastiche necklace, a metaphor for what Catarina aspired to for her Alentejo - a balance between employers and workers.

58 Typhaine Le Monnier (FR/PT)

“Signs of Grace”

9 pendants 5x3x2cm

Marble, golden steel, nylon thread

HONOURED WOMAN: Graça Costa Cabral

STATEMENT: Studies on marble monoliths, New “portraits” looking upwards. Inspired by the sculptural works of Graça Costa Cabral, entitled “Signs and Similarities”.

59 Valentim Quaresma (PT)

“Untitled”

Brooch 15x15 cm

Mixed media

HONOURED WOMAN: MDM-Women’s Democratic Movement

STATEMENT: I decided to pay homage to the MDM because of the countless memories I have of going to meetings with my mother when I was a kid, just after the 25th of April. It was inspiring to see how my mum, and so many other women, were actively motivated to build a fairer and more equal society.

60 Viktoria Austmeyer (DE)

“For Maria”

Brooch 13.5x11.5x4.5cm

Wax, 935 silver and steel

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria Teresa Horta

STATEMENT:

VEREINT

dein körper

an mein

wir zwei

und das dazwischen

zusammen vereint

das, was ich

verspür

ist so viel mehr

als wir uns

berührn

English translation:

COMBINED

your body

on mine

we both

and the in-between

together combined

that what

I perceive

is so much more

than just

the touch

This touch, a symbol of sisterhood, is reflected in my work. The tender touch of two women in an embrace, represented by the space between them. This space between them as a symbol of support, cohesion, strength, overcoming boundaries and celebrating femininity - a space full of infinite possibilities.

Maria Teresa Horta is a writer, poet, journalist, and feminist activist. In 1972, together with Maria Velho de Costa and Maria Isabel Barreno, she published "Novas Cartas Portuguesas" ("New Portuguese Letters"), which sent a clear signal against patriarchal oppression, social violence, injustice and discrimination, as well as against the fascist Estado Novo regime. Shortly afterwards, this literary work was banned by the censors because it was considered "pornographic and contrary to public morals". The three authors were arrested and imprisoned, which provoked a worldwide wave of indignation and unexpected international support.

61 Vivianne Kiritani (BR)

“by Graça”

Wax necklace 29.7x42cm. Clay necklace 25x25cm. Porcelain bracelet 15x15cm

Wax, clay, porcelain

HONOURED WOMAN: Graça Costa Cabral

STATEMENT: I gently place my hands on the small porcelain piece to listen to the soul of the person who sculpted it. An attempt to capture the essence of her existence and understand what it would be like to be in that skin. With a volcanic nature like that of her place of origin, São Miguel, in the immensity of blue and exuberant strength, she believed in the freedom of experimentation to the point of founding a school of arts. I meet Graça Costa Cabral in the freedom of creation, jewellery and sculpture in an open field, without belonging to either of these territories, and from this principle the object speaks about the body. I incorporate its forms and surrender myself; I imprint the world's raw layers of time with the folds of my being, of this very substance of which we are made, I give my skin to Graça.

62 Zélia Nobre Carré (PT)

“Untitled”

Necklace 35x22x1.5 cm

Silver 925, coral, photographic enamel

HONOURED WOMAN: Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo

STATEMENT: Intelligent, brilliant and sensitive, Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo was undoubtedly one of the most striking personalities in our social, political and cultural life in the second half of the 20th century.