Umbigo

UMBIGO mourns the passing of Luisa Cunha, an artist with whom we had the privilege of working in the past, and whose whispers, voices, and words we had the pleasure of listening to throughout her career.

A profoundly original figure in both the Portuguese and international art scenes, Cunha turned sound into an artistic, architectural, and political medium, becoming a leading choice for many institutions and curators working in sound art.

Luisa Cunha won the EDP Foundation Art Grand Prize in 2021 and participated in the 2021 São Paulo Biennial, the 2004 Sydney Biennial, and, most recently, the AnoZero’26 Biennial in Coimbra. In 2022, she was also duly recognised with the AICA Portugal Prize in the Visual Arts category.

The artist leaves behind a vast legacy of works held in many public and private collections. UMBIGO invites readers to discover her work through the extensive coverage of projects, installations, and exhibitions now available in the 

We now share two covers Luisa Cunha conceived for the old Umbigo Online website.

<div class="slate-editor group/editor relative w-full cursor-text select-text overflow-x-hidden whitespace-pre-wrap break-words rounded-5px ring-offset-background focus-visible:outline-none placeholder:text-muted-foreground/80 [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:top-[auto_!important] [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:text-muted-foreground/80 [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:!opacity-100 [&_strong]:font-bold" data-slate-editor="true" data-slate-node="value"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" data-slate-id="VBj4ueVspU" data-block-id="VBj4ueVspU" style="position:relative"><span data-slate-node="text"><span data-slate-leaf="true" class=""><span data-slate-string="true">“Luisa Cunha’s purpose is not to treat sound as an autonomous item on par with colour, form, and space. Invisible and at the same time omnipresent, sound always animates unusual situations that shift viewer attention from artistic production to aesthetic reception.” Miguel Wandschneider (2000) on Luisa Cunha.</span></span></span></div></div>

Luisa Cunha (1949–2026)

A UMBIGO lamenta a morte de Luisa Cunha, artista com a qual tivemos o privilégio de trabalhar no passado e cujos sussurros, vozes e palavras tivemos o prazer de escutar ao longo da sua carreira.

Profundamente original no panorama artístico português e internacional, Cunha fez do som matéria artística, arquitetónica e política, tornando-se a artista de eleição de muitas instituições e curadores para a arte sonora.

Luisa Cunha venceu o Grande Prémio Fundação EDP Arte de 2021, participou na Bienal de São Paulo de 2021, na Bienal de Sidney de 2004 e, atualmente, na Bienal AnoZero’26, em Coimbra. Em 2022 foi devidamente reconhecida também com o Prémio AICA Portugal, na categoria de Artes Visuais.

A artista deixa agora um vasto legado de obras em muitas coleções públicas e privadas, e a UMBIGO não pode deixar de convidar os leitores a conhecerem a sua obra através da extensa cobertura dos projetos, instalações e exposições agora presente no arquivo da 

Partilhamos aqui as capas do mês que Luisa Cunha desenvolveu para a antiga Umbigo Online.

<div class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" style="position:relative"><span data-slate-node="text" data-slate-leaf="true"><div class="slate-editor group/editor relative w-full cursor-text select-text overflow-x-hidden whitespace-pre-wrap break-words rounded-5px ring-offset-background focus-visible:outline-none placeholder:text-muted-foreground/80 [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:top-[auto_!important] [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:text-muted-foreground/80 [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:!opacity-100 [&_strong]:font-bold" data-slate-editor="true" data-slate-node="value"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" data-slate-id="mqWFNUtc51" data-block-id="mqWFNUtc51" style="position:relative"><span data-slate-node="text"><span data-slate-leaf="true" class=""><span data-slate-string="true">“Não cabe nos propósitos de Luisa Cunha tratar o som enquanto dado autónomo, como pode ser a cor, a forma, ou o espaço. Invisível e ao mesmo tempo omnipresente, o som é sempre dinamizador de situações insólitas que deslocam a atenção do espectador da produção artística para a recepção estética.” Miguel Wandschneider (2000), a propósito de Luisa Cunha.</span></span></span></div></div></span></div>

Luisa Cunha (1949-2026)

Mafalda Teixeira

<div class="slate-editor group/editor relative w-full cursor-text select-text overflow-x-hidden whitespace-pre-wrap break-words rounded-5px ring-offset-background focus-visible:outline-none placeholder:text-muted-foreground/80 [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:top-[auto_!important] [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:text-muted-foreground/80 [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:!opacity-100 [&_strong]:font-bold" data-slate-editor="true" data-slate-node="value"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" data-slate-id="TLoSncnDPx" data-block-id="TLoSncnDPx" style="position:relative"><span data-slate-node="text"><span data-slate-leaf="true" class=""><span data-slate-string="true">At the invitation of Umbigo, and in connection with the exhibition dedicated to him at the 24th Cerveira International Art Biennial, Silvestre Pestana presents the</span></span></span><span data-slate-node="text"><span data-slate-leaf="true" class="" data-slate-italic="true"><em data-slate-leaf="true" class="slate-italic" data-slate-italic="true"><span data-slate-string="true"> POLÉN2:0</span></em></span></span><span data-slate-node="text"><span data-slate-leaf="true" class=""><span data-slate-string="true"> project, which is featured in the Post-Digital section.</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>

Interview with Silvestre Pestana, author of the Umbigo.space cover

<div class="slate-editor group/editor relative w-full cursor-text select-text overflow-x-hidden whitespace-pre-wrap break-words rounded-5px ring-offset-background focus-visible:outline-none placeholder:text-muted-foreground/80 [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:top-[auto_!important] [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:text-muted-foreground/80 [&_[data-slate-placeholder]]:!opacity-100 [&_strong]:font-bold" data-slate-editor="true" data-slate-node="value"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" style="position:relative"><div data-slate-node="element" class="slate-p m-0 px-0 py-1" data-slate-type="p" data-slate-id="3gROS00nEQ" data-block-id="3gROS00nEQ" style="position:relative"><span data-slate-node="text"><span data-slate-leaf="true" class=""><span data-slate-string="true">A convite da Umbigo, e a propósito da exposição que lhe será dedicada na XXIV Bienal Internacional de Arte de Cerveira, Silvestre Pestana apresenta o projecto POLÉN2:0, que integra a secção Pós-Digital do mês de julho.</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>