The two winning artists of this year's OPEN CALL are now known and will be in an artistic residency at Mina de S.Domingos, Mértola, next May.
During the month of March, the VAGABUNDAS Open Call took place - which this year entered its second edition. The objective was to select two Portuguese artists or those residing in Portugal, for the award of a scholarship and artistic residency in Mina de S. Domingos, municipality of Mértola, and the birthplace of Mercedes Blasco, a Portuguese theater and variety artist who, between the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, he had a very rich career but guided by the constant struggle against the patriarchal status quo, finally dying in poverty in the sixties, and whose life inspired the name and spirit of this Artistic Residency Program.
VAGABUNDAS is an artistic creative residency that aims to promote artistic creation in the feminine and at the intersection with the development of decentralized artistic work, particularly in communities with development and desertification problems.
This year we received 24 applications and our jury, which this year included the participation of the artists Ana Bugalho, Raquel André and Inês Achando, had the difficult task of choosing the two winning projects of this VAGABUNDAS edition.
The artists Margarida Azevedo and Vera Santana were selected , with the projects “Alma Lavra” and “PAPOILAS”, respectively.
With the “Alma Lavra” project, Margarida Azevedo intends to make known the reality of women in the interior of the country through stories and photographs, which result from portraits and interviews with those who live in the interior on a daily basis. The involvement of the local community is crucial for “Alma Lavra” to be a project that fuels public discussion about the interior/coastal dichotomy and the role of women.
“PAPOILAS” by Vera Santana is a multidisciplinary proposal that seeks to promote the development of female memory in the Mina S. Domingos community. From the collection of true stories, to an exploration of emotions about these memories that are shaped, depending on demographic factors, until being explored through a theatrical artistic language, and ending with the experience of sharing with the community.
During the month of May these artists will be in residence at Mina de S. Domingos, taking advantage of this inspiring place and the generosity of its people, and with the necessary conditions to develop their creative projects, conditions that many still condition the work of women artists in our country.
Find out more on the Company's website: https://www.cepatorta.org/residencias