pós-laboratórios de verão 2026

Aiming to foster local artistic creation, gnration, CAAA – Centro para os Assuntos da Arte e Arquitectura, and Solar – Cinematic Art Gallery join forces to promote the twelfth edition of the Laboratórios de Verão [Summer Laboratories] support program. Following an open call earlier this year, four proposals were selected and are now presented in the program’s customary annual exhibition. This year, the curatorial guidance is led by artist, curator, and researcher Filipa Valente.

The exhibition component of Laboratórios de Verão comprises three installations. O que corre por baixo [What flows underneath], by Bruno Mesquita, stems from an investigation into the banks of the Ave River, following decades of textile industry discharge, to construct a visual and sonic cartography of the river. Traversing the ridges of Serra do Sameiro, along the imaginary line that divides the municipalities of Braga and Guimarães, Quantos lados tem o monte? [How many sides does the mountain have?], by Marisa Fernandes, combines the experience of walking this territory with materials gathered from archives. Prova de luz [Proof of light], by Sandra Teixeira, explores the relationship between photography and sound through the microscopic observation of the reactions of a begonia leaf and photographic paper to natural and artificial light. In the performative strand, double bassist Maria Amaro and visual artist Calgon present ENTRE-LINHAS [BETWEEN-LINES], a unique, ever-changing performance where music and analog video feed into each other.

bruno mesquita
Multidisciplinary artist and researcher. With a Master’s degree in Media Arts from UMinho, he is a PhD candidate in Fine Arts at FBAUP and a researcher for the European project Ecologies of Care (DUT), having previously been involved with MigraMediaActs (CECS/FCT). His practice intersects media art and critical theory through installations and video, exploring borders and collective memory to challenge dominant narratives. His work has been presented in renowned contexts such as the Gwangju Media Art Festival, Porto Design Biennale, Semibreve Festival (2025), and The Wrong Biennale (2025-26).

maria amaro + calgon
Maria Amaro is a double bassist with a degree in classical music who has collaborated with acts like Circuit des Yeux, Get The Blessing, and Calcutá. In 2026, she launches a solo project where she transposes the double bass and voice into experimental universes of repetition and transformation. Carla Gonçalves / Calgon, a programmer since 2018, explores visual performance. Her project focuses on a unique universe of analog video mixing that is autonomous and adaptive, redefining the audiovisual experience in symbiosis with sound.

marisa fernandes
Architect graduated from the University of Minho, where she is a guest lecturer and PhD researcher at Lab2PT, supported by an FCT fellowship. Between 2023 and 2025, she also taught at the SRH University in Heidelberg (Germany). Her research focuses on the analysis and representation of contemporary landscapes. With extensive participation in city-focused initiatives, highlights include co-organizing the ‘Youth 4 Bauhaus’ with Braga Media Arts and the ‘Participatory Cartography Workshop’ as part of Braga25 – Portuguese Capital of Culture.

sandra teixeira
Visual artist based in Porto, whose work focuses on alternative and experimental photography. Her practice stems from the observation of nature and celebrates the imperfection of images, oscillating between chance and control. Exploring the passage of time and the materiality of photography as an object, her work stands out for its ecological commitment, using low-toxicity chemical alternatives and natural developers made from plants and common household ingredients.

curatorship filipa valente

partners
caaa centro para os assuntos da arte e arquitectura 
solar – galeria de arte cinemática  
lac laboratório de actividades criativas  

supported by portuguese republic – culture, youth and sports / general direction of the arts / network of portuguese theaters and cinemas (rtcp). portuguese contemporary art network (rpac).