New exhibition cycle at CIAJG

article

DATE

22 May 2026

AUTHOR

Mafalda Teixeira

New exhibition cycle at CIAJG

AUTHOR

Mafalda Teixeira

In a launch phase defined by risk, innovation, and a fresh curatorial perspective, three distinct, large-scale exhibitions opened on March 21 in the city of Guimarães, marking the start of the new programming cycle at the José de Guimarães International Arts Center (CIAJG) under the artistic direction of Miguel Wandschneider: Come di, by Jorge Molder; Back Outside, by Aidan Duffy, and Artes Tradicionais Africanas na Coleção de José de Guimarães (Traditional African Art in the José de Guimarães Collection).

The development of a relevant program—with an international focus—and the presentation of solo exhibitions by national and international artists signal a new approach by the current administration regarding the institution’s positioning and its programmatic content. Developing high-quality work in Guimarães and engaging audiences from neighboring municipalities through strategic repositioning and a demanding program, with a view to consolidating and expanding the CIAJG’s relevance, are priorities for Miguel Wandschneider. Alongside the focus on foreign artists and internationally touring projects, there is a renewed focus on Portuguese artistic production, the institution’s collections, and innovative ways of presenting José de Guimarães’ work (1939).

By prioritizing choices that enhance the CIAJG’s diversity, visibility, and capacity for dialogue in both national and international contexts, the programming concept—according to Wandschneider—does not seek obvious points of contact between exhibitions, but rather the opposite, focusing instead on presenting concurrent exhibitions that are not related by similarity or proximity, but rather function in a polarized manner, through contrast.

The exhibition Come di (Part 1), an example of this renewal, stands as the first systematic retrospective of Jorge Molder (1947), a central figure in contemporary Portuguese photography whose work has been widely celebrated on the national art scene. A reflection of new strategies and changes, it is worth noting that, to date, there has never been an anthological exhibition of a renowned Portuguese artist in the history of the CIAJG’s exhibition programming. According to Wandschneider, the exhibition addresses an impossibility, in that a comprehensive retrospective of Jorge Molder—one that encompasses and spans 50 years of artistic practice—is not feasible. Limiting itself to a period of work between 1991 and 2003, including earlier series such as Waiters and Fencers (1986), the scope of the exhibition will not be confined to a single presentation, as it is divided into two consecutive parts —the second opening in late September alongside the exhibition by Polish artist Dorota Jurczak (1978)—which will allow for an in-depth exploration of Molder’s work, while maintaining the autonomy of each exhibition segment.

Black-and-white photographs, framed in black, fixed to the paper using the gelatin silver print technique, and carefully arranged according to aesthetic and chronological criteria, line the walls of the top floor of the CIAJG. Preceding the exhibition, we are confronted by the series, created between 1981 and 1987, in which the artist’s figure evades the camera’s gaze, ironically titled Self-Portraits. This is joined by two series from 1986: Waiters and Fencers, portraits in which the subjects, through staging, embody and foreshadow the work of self-representation to which Jorge Molder would later devote himself. In a play of contrasts between scales, we encounter another exhibition moment with the series The Secret Agent (1991), where the artist, in an insistent and obsessive manner, becomes the model of the photographic images, in gestures of self-representation, but not necessarily of self-portraits. Next comes a work on duplicity and metamorphosis in the large-format photographs of the Inox series (1994), in which, starting from his own body in self-portraiture, the artist constructs a fictional figure who observes us with an inquisitive gaze, assuming a simple pose that challenges us. In dialogue with Inox, enormously enlarged images of the artist’s face, transcending the limits of photography, are presented to us in the series TV (1996), which, at another moment, reveals Molder’s face reduced to a patch of light that stands out against the dark background of the image. One of the rooms highlights the set of images belonging to Insomnia (1992)—silhouettes, fragments of faces, hands, and cigarettes—dominated by plays of shadow and light, of chiaro/oscuro, in an exhibition that, despite the serial nature of its composition, reveals a kinship among them, in a process that Wandschneider classifies as self-quotation.

Through a winding path, Molder’s character leads us to Aidan Duffy’s (1995) exhibition Back Outside. Added to the generational clash between the two is the risk posed by their different backgrounds and levels of recognition within the art world: that of a veteran with an established body of work and that of an emerging artist, little known even within the most exclusive circles. Notwithstanding the play of contrasts and oppositions, as well as the absence of a dialogue between Molder’s and Duffy’s works, we nevertheless recognize a spectral presence in both exhibitions. While Molder’s fictional figure haunts the world of images like a ghost, the Scottish artist’s sculptures carry and echo ghosts of past lives. According to Duffy, one of the primary aspects of his practice is to preserve the echo of the previous functions of the objects that embody his sculptures, preserving the ghost of what they once were, in a working process that follows a cycle parallel to that of life: where the beginning of one thing depends on the end of another.

Covering three years of production, Back Outside, Duffy’s first exhibition in an institutional space, presents itself as an anthology, featuring a selection of works ranging from his first exhibition to the present day. Somewhere between the natural and the synthetic; the organic and the inorganic, the sculptural pieces reveal a harmony and coherence of forms and meanings. Captivating juxtapositions of objects draw the viewer’s attention through the diversity of materials, forms, textures, and colors, striking a balance between artistic intention and spontaneous occurrence. Looking at the creations—fifteen wall pieces and one floor piece—we see the artist’s fascination with objects, their aesthetic, social, cultural, or personal value, and the creative process, as well as how they may—or may not—work together. Duffy’s encounter with objects—or parts of objects—discarded and abandoned on the street, acquired at thrift stores or online auctions, initiates a creative process that, intuitive and without prior planning, thrives on new beginnings, mistakes, and successes. Until they are incorporated into a work, materials sometimes remain in the studio for months, a place where the artist views them as raw material, reflects on their previous functions, and defines what they might become: manipulating them, recontextualizing them, and assigning them a new purpose.

Far from a mere accumulation or recycling of discarded objects and materials, situated within the realm of the decorative arts, Duffy’s sculptures—authentic assemblages—reveal his fascination with and curiosity about materials through their combination into a harmonious whole. These works, open to interpretation and new meanings, embody expressions or representations of emotional and psychological states through color, tone, or even rhythm and movement. The performative potential in the public’s interaction with the works—as they seek to observe them from various angles and identify their constituent elements—is a constant throughout the exhibition. Playing different roles from the original, we recognize in the entrance works Blow the Speaker (2025–26) and Made Friends with the Floor (2025) blinds and garment bags to which the artist has assigned a new role. In the second section of the exhibition, six wall sculptures line our path, in a variety of textures, colors, compositions, and dimensions: from the delicate stitching of beads onto tulle in Protective Bae (2022–23); to the mystical suggestion of Midnight Problems (2025) with its curtains of wooden leaves hanging from textile fragments and metal poles; to clothing as structure in Cool on You, or the use of snakeskin binding plaster casts in Give Me 10’s (2025). The last room dedicated to the exhibition features wall sculptures, with a highlight being the floor piece Doppelganger (2025), in which each element—metal, paper, canvas, and plaster modified with acrylic—combines to form a whole, creating a futuristic sculpture fully integrated into the space.

The aforementioned exhibitions are joined by Traditional African Arts in the José de Guimarães Collection, featuring a significant selection of artifacts from Central and West Africa belonging to the José de Guimarães collection, now reorganized and presented independently in its own space within the museum. The curatorial vision and presentation of the collection diverge profoundly from the previously prevailing paradigm, emphasizing the idea of diversity and a break with previous interpretations. Reinforced by new donations, the collection is now displayed in a new configuration, occupying the ground and lower floors of the museum, with a special focus on the extensive collection of masks.

The three exhibitions can be visited at the Centro Internacional das Artes José de Guimarães until September 6, 2026.

BIOGRAPHY

Mafalda Teixeira, Master’s Degree in History of Art, Heritage and Visual Culture from the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto. She has an internship and worked in the Temporary Exhibitions department of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona. During the master’s degree, she did a curricular internship in production at the Municipal Gallery of Oporto. Currently, she is devoted to research in the History of Modern and Contemporary Art, and publishes scientific articles.

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