Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel is pleased to invite Mendes Wood DM to collaborate on the fifth edition of its annual summer show in Comporta, Portugal. Blinded by the Light is a group exhibition that traverses the interplay between light and shadow, engaging with their transformative power as forces that alter both our physical environment and psychological states. In this framework, the landscape becomes a site of transformation, where phenomena of perception, memory, and time converge.

In the contemporary sociopolitical scenario, experiences of sensory overload and semantic privation wrestle and become entangled in our apprehension of reality. The act of obscuring and revealing becomes not only a formal exploration but also a metaphor for the turbulent configurations of states, borders, social logistics, and political imperatives that govern our contemporary moment. The works presented in Blinded By The Light navigate the spectrum between brightness and shadow, the clearly defined and the nebulous. The exhibition embraces a range of media, from painting and photography to sculpture and film.

Featuring new works by Laís Amaral, Paloma Bosquê, Rodrigo Cass, João Maria Gusmão, Marina Perez Simão, Marina Rheingantz, Maaike Schoorel, Pol Taburet, Antonio Tarsis and Janaina Tschäpe, as well as recent pieces by Nina Canell, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Leticia Ramos, Mauro Restiffe, Erika Verzutti, alongside historical paintings by Frank Walter.

Conceived by Maria Ana Pimenta, partner and international director at Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, the Comporta project debuted in 2021 and has since evolved into a vibrant platform for artistic exchange, extending beyond traditional exhibition models. Set in Casa da Cultura—a former rice barn turned cultural space, part of the Fundação Herdade da Comporta—it blends contemporary art with the region’s unique atmosphere, offering a slower, more contemplative pace of engagement.

Rooted in openness and dialogue, the project reflects the gallery’s collaborative ethos, fostering meaningful partnerships with like-minded institutions. This flexible format supports a more intuitive curatorial process and nurtures unique synergies, encouraging new conversations with fellow partners. Over the years, the Comporta Summer Show has become a gathering place for collectors, curators, artists, and gallerists, providing a more spontaneous and organic environment than the formal circuits of art fairs and galleries.

The 2025 exhibition is accompanied by an essay written by Cindy Sissokho, a curator and cultural producer who co-curated the French Pavilion for the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024.