This year, the ARCOlisboa International Contemporary Art Fair will bring together 84 galleries from 22 countries, including 26 Portuguese, returning to Cordoaria Nacional, in the capital, between May 25 and 28, the organization announced.
In this 6th edition, the event, organized by IFEMA - Feiras de Madrid and by the Lisbon City Council, will bring together 55 galleries in the General Programme, 21 in Opening Lisboa and eight in the África em Foco section, the largest representation of the six years of activity .
In a statement, the organization highlighted the "record number" of galleries participating in this edition, with an increase of 29% compared to 2022, justified by the "growing interest of international galleries in ARCOlisboa".
This year, the participation of Portuguese galleries represents 31% of the fair, with 26 represented, the international segment accounts for 69% - 58 galleries -, mainly from Europe, but also with an African presence, bringing together galleries from Angola, Morocco, Mozambique and South Africa.
The growth of the General Program will also be reflected in new content such as SOLO projects, indicates the organization, pointing out that the work of nine international artists will be presented in depth, among them Manis Pacheco (Balcony), Nacho created (José de la Mano), Eugenia Mussa (Monitor), Túlio Pinto (Nosco), FOD (T20), Ana López (W-Galería) and Edin Zenun (Zeller Van Almsick).
Through the Opening Lisbon section, whose selection was made by Chus Martínez and Luiza Teixeira de Freitas, with the collaboration of Diogo Pinto, the fair will have 21 galleries, such as Anca Poterasu, Britta Rettberg, Livie Gallery, Menoparkas, Portas Vilaseca, Ravnikar, making their debut on the programme, or Artbeat, Atm, Foco, Rodríguez Gallery and The Ryder Projects, who are returning.
The Africa in Focus program once again focuses attention on research into contemporary art from the African continent, with the participation of eight galleries selected by curator Paula Nascimento. It will include galleries from Morocco (African Arty), South Africa (Afronova and Guns & Rain), Mozambique (Arte de Gema), as well as from France (193 Gallery), Germany (Artco) and Portugal (Insofar and Perve), with exhibitors individual items that will be scattered around the fair.
This content is complemented by other African galleries participating in the General Programme, such as L'atelier 21 Art Gallery, from Morocco, and the Angolan galleries Movart and This Is Not A White Cube.
For the fourth time, ARCOlisboa will award the Opening Lisboa Prize, whose jury, made up of professionals from the sector, will recognize the best exhibitor in the section with the concession of the exhibition space at the fair as a prize.
At the fair, there will again be the ArtsLibris space, an area specialized in artist editions, photobooks and digital publications, with around thirty national and foreign exhibitors at Torreão Nascente da Cordoaria, with free access to the public.
As in previous editions, ARCOlisboa will create a parallel cultural program in conjunction with institutions such as museums, openings and visits to exhibitions and private collections, among other events.