5 years – Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa

Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa(CDAP) is a platform for research, experimentation and studies on contemporary art founded in 2009, idealized by Paulo Reis. A multidisciplinary struct...

Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa(CDAP) is a platform for research, experimentation and studies on contemporary art founded in 2009, idealized by Paulo Reis. A multidisciplinary structure for the visual arts, CDAP aims to provide a network of exchange between artists, theorists, students, producers and the public. The artistic program is dedicated to residencies for both national and international artists who perform site-specific exhibitions, as well as other activities such as conferences, conversations with artists and guided tours. As a non-profit organization, it relies on a solid network of collaborators and partnerships. At the same time, CDAP develops sustainability projects such as Múltiplos - Carpe Diem Editions, limited editions of artists that integrate CDAP's programming, aiming to increase the existence of new collectors of contemporary art.

The 5th anniversary of Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa is an occasion to reflect on the course and contribution of CDAP to the panorama of contemporary art.

Located within the walls of a seventeenth-century palace, this unique project is essentially dedicated to contemporary art, with the purpose of producing new content, resulting from artistic residencies, integration in the space and coexistence with the atmosphere of the palace. CDAP is characterized by promoting close relationships with the artists, public, partners and collaborators, developing and encouraging strong relationships with the community. While it is responsible for the management and maintenance of Pombal Palace, the CDAP enhances singular artistic experiences and provides a concerted action with contemporary educational practices and therefore understands its mission as a public service.

To commemorate this date a special limited edition (500) book will be published. A bilingual edition with special detail, gathering images relating to content produced in this place, from objects to contemplations. This edition is understood essentially as an object of visual enjoyment that will feature unique content. While the project is anchored on personal exchanges, the commemorative book of the 5 years of CDAP is a documentation of all those who have contributed to its narrative. In order to share this experience with as many people as possible, the edition will have an accessible value, an option that reflects the inclusive nature of the project.

For a non-profit organization it is particularly difficult to gather the necessary investment to produce a book whose costs are high, given the extent and quality of content and materials involved. Essential to accomplishing our project and goal, this campaign aims to secure funding for part of the production and printing of the edition.

We would like to invite you to participate in our project, which is currently in production. Your participation, more than welcomed, it is indispensable for the success and implementation of the project. We ask all those who consider the work developed by CDAP, worthy and necessary, and understand that these 5 years should be remembered in an outstanding manner, to support this project.

Contributions range from 1 to 500 euros, offering various compensations, such as acquiring the book at a special pre-sale price, your name in special mention in the edition and acquisition of a Múltiplo – Carpe Diem Editions.*

* Limited editions of the artists that integrated within the programming of Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa, with guarantee and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. This project encourages the emergence of new collectors of contemporary art.

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About the author

Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa (CDAP) is a platform for research, experimentation and studies on contemporary art founded in 2009, idealized by Paulo Reis. A multidisciplinary structure for the visual arts, CDAP aims to provide a network of exchange between artists, theorists, students, producers and the public. The artistic program is dedicated to residencies for both national and international artists who perform site-specific exhibitions, as well as other activities such as conferences, conversations with artists and guided tours.

As a non-profit organization, it counts on the support and network of collaborators and other cultural organizations such as EGEAC / Lisbon City Council, DGArtes – General Directorate of the Arts / Portuguese Ministry of Culture.

Lourenço Egreja is chief curator, since January 2009, at Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa in Lisbon, Portugal. Upon returning form the USA in 2003, with a Fulbright Grant, Lourenço Egreja started to work in a series of curatorial projects in contemporary art. In the USA, after concluding his masters in Art History and Museum Studies, he worked as assistant to the Curator at Wave Hill, Public Gardens, NYC. The first project in Portugal was the national call for last year students of fine art schools called Anteciparte. Lourenço developed coordinated and decided all of the steps from funding, selection of the exhibition space and design, selection of the artists, installation, to publishing of the catalogue, in its four editions (2005-2008). In parallel to this curatorial activity Lourenço also has developed strong skills in translating texts of art for museums and magazines. In 2009 he was invited by the Curator Paulo Reis to inaugurate a project called Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa, as a member of the Curatorial team, at the Palácio Pombal in Lisbon. This project is partially funded by the Ministério da Cultura and private sponsors, such as Banks, Transportation Companies, Frame Studios, Printing Studios, and is based on the idea of a residency perspective in which artists develop their works from within the Palace. In 5 years of activity around 100 Portuguese and international artists have exhibited their works at Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa. Recently Lourenço has developed some work internationally such as the Projecto Correspondência with the Mexican Curator Paula Lopez Zambrano, 2012, the invitation to integrate the curatorial team of Paralela 2010, São Paulo, Brazil and an exhibition at Atelier Fidalga with the Portuguese artist Rui Horta Pereira. The experience of being on the selection panel of Anteciparte in its four editions generated invitations to integrate the jury panel of the Inovarte Program (of the Ministery of Culture), Fundação Bienal de Cerveira, Galeria de Arte Urbana and the Fulbright Office in Lisbon. Lourenço also holds a “Licenciatura Degree” in History by the Universidade Lusíada, Lisboa, in which he also received the Leonardo Da Vinci Grant to study at the Universidade de Barcelona, History Program, for 1 year.

Luísa Especial has worked on several projects related to curating, writing and research for a diverse range of museums and art collections such as Museu Colecção Berardo, Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves, BES Arte & Finança, Ellipse Foundation and Museu da Presidência da República. Graduated in Art History in 2003 (FLUL, Lisbon), she obtained her MA in Curatorial Studies (FBAUL, Lisbon) in 2007. Her PhD dissertation in Sociology of Art (ISCTE, Lisbon) is dedicated to art curators, offering a comprehensive approach, combining theoretical perspectives and empirical data, focusing on representations, paths and practices. For pursuing both dissertations she received grants from the Fundação para a Ciência e para a Tecnologia (FCT). As an independent curator she has organized exhibitions such as Forces (Art Algarve 2009, Museu de Portimão) and All work and no play (Plataforma Revólver, 2008). Occasionally, she lectures and teaches on contents related to her research. Luísa has also participated as a jury for selecting artistic projects (Gulbenkian Foundation).
From 2011 to 2013, Luísa collaborated with Residency Unlimited (New York) as Curatorial Consultant and Resident Curator. Since 2012, she is Project Director at CDAP.

Dania Afonso graduated from Pratt Institute, New York, with a degree in Communication Design. In recent years she has developed her activity in interactive design and user experience, working on innovative approaches for several digital platforms, for various companies such as YDreams, Outsystems, atelier ESCRIT'ORIO editora as well as personal projects: web interfaces, mobile applications, interactive installations, social networking. Currently, she is teaching Multimedia Project at the School of Art and Design (ESAD), in Caldas da Rainha. In 2007, she helped create, atelier ESCRIT'ORIO editora, where she is currently creative director and responsible for the digital editions, highlighting the most recent work, the first collection of ebooks for the newspaper Diário de Notícias. Most recently she co-founded and is creative director of Festival PLAY, Lisbon's 1st International Kids Film Festival – 2014.

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