Where once stood a towering wall, now lies a low, horizontal gate, open to all, revealing a welcoming garden. This is the entrance to the newly renovated CAM – Centro de Arte Moderna of the Gulbenkian Foundation, an oasis in the heart of Lisbon. The museum’s accessibility is a key element of its vision, as explained by CAM Director Benjamin Weil: “We want to be an interface between the most daring artistic projects and a diverse audience. As the gardens of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation are a highly sought-after location, we designed the CAM as a place where people can return countless times and incorporate the art experience into their routine, just like they would a walk in the park.” Indeed, the complex is reminiscent of a park, boasting eight thousand square meters of green space, complete with lakes, sculptures, ducks, and turtles. The renovation also extended to the gardens, which have been landscaped by Vladimir Djurovic with a focus on naturalism, using only native plants. The expectation is that the garden will become completely self-sufficient over time.
Architecturally, the star of the show is the Engawa, a sinuous 100-meter-long porch that runs along the entire lateral façade of the building, featuring 3,274 wooden tiles covered in white ceramic tiles. This roof, designed by Kengo Kuma and his team, is named after the transitional space between the exterior and interior of Japanese homes – a veranda that offers protection from the sun and rain, but also serves as a point of connection between the museum and the garden. The original CAM building was designed in 1983 by British architect Leslie Martin to house the collection, which now boasts nearly 12,000 works by modern and contemporary artists, including David Hockney, Helena Almeida, Paula Rego, Sonia and Robert Delaunay, Bridget Riley, Joana Vasconcelos, and Vieira da Silva. For this new phase, the structure of the building was maintained, but the transformation is radical. The presence of natural light and connection with nature permeates the entire project, starting with the enormous glass doors at both entrances: one connecting to the Engawa and the other leading to the Foundation’s gardens. Another major change is the creation of new galleries beneath the museum.
For its grand opening, the CAM’s main gallery hosts the exhibition “da desigualdade constante dos dias de Leonor*,” a piece specially commissioned for the occasion by Leonor Antunes. The lowercase lettering of the title is a reference to a work by Ana Hatherly, which is also part of the exhibition. On the ground floor, the first solo exhibition of the Portuguese artist, based in Berlin for two decades, showcases a sculptural forest created using a variety of materials and techniques. On the upper floor, Leonor acts as curator and presents around 30 works by female artists from the collection. Brazilian artist Jota Mombaca participates with “sempre viva cobra d’água,” the first ephemeral work ever purchased by the institution. During the museum’s opening weekend, Jota presented a performance in collaboration with Luan Okum where the ceramic piece was taken to one of the garden’s lakes and submerged. The work will remain there for the duration of its physical existence, being transformed over time by its surroundings.
In the new underground galleries, there are two more exhibitions: “The Western Calligrapher. Fernando Lemos and Japan” and “Tide Line. CAM Collection.” The first explores the relationship of the multidisciplinary Portuguese-Brazilian artist with Japan, a country he visited in 1963 thanks to a scholarship he received from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to study calligraphy and Japanese art. Lemos’ drawings and photographs are displayed in dialogue with pieces from the Gulbenkian Museum’s collection. The second exhibition takes the April 25, 1974 Revolution as its starting point, featuring around 80 works by artists from different generations, including standout videos by Gabriel Abrantes, where charming ghosts discuss existential questions in a post-apocalyptic setting, a scenario that is all too relevant in the current world.
The attractions don’t end there. From Japan also comes Go Watanabe with the work “M5A5” in the “Project Space” and Yashiro Morinaga with the sound installation “The Voice of Inconstant Savage,” which combines the sound culture of the Japanese, the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, and the Portuguese. A few steps away is the H Box, a compact cinema in the shape of a spaceship, created by Didier Fiuza Faustino for the Foundation d’entreprise Hermès to be an itinerant art space, where visitors can choose from 12 available video art pieces.
The CAM has been integrated into the fabric of Lisbon, a city that is increasingly multicultural and diverse. “We are connected to the city and its energy,” says Ana Botella, Deputy Director of the museum. “We are living in an incredible time to connect different audiences, from traditional art enthusiasts to new generations, voices from the diaspora, and expats who have chosen to live here. We want to bridge these audiences and be an active part of this ecosystem that exists today,” she concludes. The stones of the wall that once separated the Gulbenkian complex from the city have become a public bench. Those who pass by today see a garden, there is no longer a separation between inside and outside. Everyone is invited to enter, in the most perfect translation of how the new CAM wants to be part of the city and the lives of its people. Simply click on this link to join the channel and receive the latest news firsthand. As soon as you enter, the common WhatsApp conversation template will appear on your screen. From there, just wait for the news to arrive!
