Botanizing the Asphalt

Artists: Ana Vaz, Alexandre Estrela, Anna Schachinger, Haig Aivazian, Hugo de Almeida Pinho, Jonathan Uliel Saldanha, Marjolijn Dijkman, Pedro Henriques, Younes Ben Slimane

Curated by Sara Castelo Branco

The exhibition Botanizing the Asphalt explores the political role of urban spaces at night through three thematic realms that intersect with the nocturnal: protest, energy, and the botanizing. Addressing its sensorial and atmospheric nature, the potential of the night as a community meeting space unfolds against the backdrop of pressing social, ecological, and political contexts. The title is inspired by Walter Benjamin’s description (1938) of how the flâneur experiences the city emotionally while wandering the streets. Entering the exhibition is like being immersed in a green urban valley: weaving together dreamlike meditations on resistance, memory, identity and place, the show aims to involve and delve deeper into nocturnal social imaginaries.


With the support of DGARTES and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation as well as Mondriian Fund.