The exhibition “Cumulus — ou a nuvem mais pesada”, by artists David Lopes and Fábio Araújo, emerged from a performance rooted in the history of Porto. Inspired by the military movements during the Siege of Porto, Fábio Araújo's performance revisited the old military lines of D. Miguel troops. Wearing a military uniform and carrying a metal backpack-like structure, the performer transported a section of a 19th-century drawing by João Baptista Ribeiro, which documents the city's bombardments. This act reflects on the image of the Titan Atlas, condemned to bear the "weight of the heavens," evoking the soldier as a figure burdened by the weight of war.
The exhibition invites a dialogue about dualities: urban Porto in times of peace and conflict; the current transformation of strategic defence lines; and the imagery of clouds versus the design of bombs. These reflections lead us to consider human vulnerability during wartime and the power of art to bring the memories of the past into the present.

On display until December 20, the exhibition can be visited from Wednesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or at alternative times by appointment.

Organization: INSTITUTO, paulo moreira architectures
Support: FBAUP, i2ADS, FCT, Direção-Geral das Artes, Oficina Mescla, Pure Print, oBastidor