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Exhibition Review: The Struggle of Memory II

Memory has become a keyword in the arts, the social sciences and the humanities when addressing the past and its legacies. To remember is an individual faculty but, as individuals normally remember as members of social groups, also a collective faculty. Individual and collective memories do not always coincide; in different social groups, individuals remember differently what seems to be the same event. Likewise, personal memories and official narratives are not always identical. Indeed, there is often a profound tension between what individuals remember and what they are required to remember according to official narratives. Insisting on individual memories can put people at risk. Memory is never fixed, it is always emerging, shaped in light of and adapted to present requirements.  

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Exhibition Review: URBAͶ [R]EVOLUTIOͶ – Exposição de arte urbana

Urban(R)Evolution chronicles the fascinating development of urban art, beginning with its early stages as tags, graffiti, and subway pieces, progressing through the influential middle period and, eventually, giving rise to street art. The art form originated with spray paint and wheat paste but quickly evolved to incorporate various techniques from around the globe. The explosive combination of graffiti, breakdancing, and rapping led to a worldwide eruption of popular expression. […] The revolutionary aspect of the show lies in the intentional accessibility of the artwork from the urban art movement. The artists’ openness to working on any surface and their use of diverse media and techniques were groundbreaking for a global art movement. Urban(R)Evolution explores the phenomenal creative explosion that swept across the world, facilitated by the power of mass media and the low barrier to entry for artists. SOURCE: https://urbanrevolution.pt/en/home/ Curators: Pauline Foessel and Pedro Alonzo

The city of Lisbon is an apt place for this exhibition. Over the last ten years, the city has experienced an urban revolution in terms of commercialization, modernization and gentrification, selling out its unique, if partially dilapidated, structure and atmosphere in exchange for revenue stemming from investment capital and the tourist industry which increasingly overwhelm the city’s infrastructure.

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Exhibition Review: The Struggle of Memory

Memory has become a keyword in the arts, the social sciences and the humanities when addressing the past and its legacies (Salzman 2006). To remember is an individual faculty but, as individuals normally remember as members of social groups, also a collective faculty (Halbwachs 1992). Individual and collective memories do not always coincide; in different social groups, individuals remember differently what seems to be the same event. Likewise, personal and official memories and the narratives derived from and legitimized through them are not always identical. Indeed, there is often a profound tension between what individuals remember and what they should remember according to official narratives. Insisting on individual memories can put people at risk. Memory is politics.

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