Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel (Brazil) is pleased to invite kurimanzutto (Mexico & US) to collaborate for the 2023 edition of the summer exhibition at Comporta, Portugal. Stemming from a desire to establish alternative models and collaborative projects, throughout July and August, Casa da Cultura da Comporta hosts 18 contemporary artists in a group show, epitomising a confluence of narratives and yearnings between both galleries, who worked together to achieve a curatorial outcome that embodies their singular languages.

In the words of Alexandre Gabriel, one of the partners and directors of Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, “This is the third iteration of a growing project which has yielded positive returns and valuable relationships beyond the rigid confines of the gallery show/art fair context. Casa da Cultura is a converted rice barn that, since the 1960s, served as a cinema and cultural centre for the region. The promoting entity of Casa da Cultura is the Foundation Herdade da Comporta, a non-profit foundation whose main goal is to work closely with the local community to promote inclusiveness and sustainability. The last two editions have given us an idea of the scope and reach of what the place has to offer as a destination for curators, artists and gallerists set in a summer vacation spot which allows for spontaneous meetings and more organic approximations. This year we have decided on a more ambitious project in partnership with kurimanzutto. The meeting of the two galleries’ programmes is an opportunity to view works that approximate distinct genres, approaches, and concepts across different geographies and backgrounds.”

As in the previous editions, the exhibition will unfold in two parts with distinct time frames and themes. The exhibition presents a notable selection, including never-seen-before pieces. The first part, opening on 8 July, focuses on the natural world as something external. The works included here harness the abundance of forms in the phenomenal world and translate them into artistic devices that fuse the natural and the artificial. The systemic logic at play in gardens, landscapes and architecture is present in sculptures, photographs and paintings, where the artists combine tactics of formal organisation with given configurations of organic and constructed space. With works by Leonor Antunes, Anderson Borba, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Álvaro Lapa, Gabriel Orozco, Wilfredo Prieto, Marina Rheingantz, Mauro Restiffe, Haegue Yang and Luiz Zerbini.

The show’s second part, opening on 5 August, brings together works that deal with ways of representing the body, from unconscious musings to mythical narratives. Departing from a rigorous separation between mind and matter, these pieces focus on the allusive potential of heterogeneous materials, incorporating sensorial information as pathways beyond the merely visible realm. The artists here collapse multiple timescales into objects that bear the imprint of manual making and manifest attunement to natural rhythms and cycles. With works by Nairy Baghramian, Márcia Falcão, Sergej Jensen, Ernesto Neto, Damián Ortega, Sofía Táboas, Adriana Varejão and Erika Verzutti.

“This project was something that needed to reflect that collaborative side that Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel has always nurtured”, says Maria Ana Pimenta, international director and spokesperson for the exhibition, when explaining the reasons behind the art-focused endeavour, adding that “This format gives us the freedom to establish dialogues with fellow galleries, prompting unique synergies. Furthermore, the artistic and creative hub in the region is flourishing, so it’s an idyllic spot for a summer show.”

Monica Manzutto, kurimanzutto’s co-founder, adds: “We are thrilled to accept this invitation from Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, given that collaboration has been at the centre of our gallery’s practice since the creation of kurimanzutto. Promoting dialogues and encounters amongst artists from different latitudes and generations is part of what we hold most dear. The location where we will jointly present the two-part exhibition allows both galleries to maintain a foothold in Europe and, at the same time, bring fresh visions from the international art scene to this exciting and vibrant region.”

After two editions, the pop-up summer gallery occupying Casa da Cultura da Comporta is now ready for a new, exciting edition with relevant names within the international art stage. An idyllic setting nestled between the ocean and rice fields, Comporta has been praised by discerning travellers for many years while this project stands as a remarkable way to enrich the cultural and artistic landscape with something that goes beyond the usual.