to June 24 | ART EXHIBIT | Branco, Huey, & Wirth | Bairro Alto | FREE

Named after Sigmund Freud’s essay on Transience, which focused on the notion of mourning and melancholia, Absolute Duration is a collaboration between Miguel Branco (Portugal), Michael Huey (U.S.A./Austria), and Wolfgang Wirth (Austria).

From the organizers:

Each artist has created/selected work that aligns with the very particular present state and condition of the exhibition space that functions overall as an interconnected, kaleidoscopic installation.

The grandeur of the palace speaks not only to art history generally and to a specific architectural/cultural historical past, but – with its array of damaged walls and ceilings, missing tilework, exposed structural elements, and random wallpaper remnants – also addresses something like the space’s own partially-revealed memory.

The artists’ approach is an attempt to fix these flaws through a ‘refurbishment’ of the space: to once again furnish the spaces as they remain utterly, preposterously uninhabitable. Some areas are covered by mirrors, a room is wallpapered over, pictures are hung, furnishings and objects are brought in. None of these measures, in the end, fully mask the dysfunction; on the contrary, they heighten and underscore them.

In parallel with this collaborative project, the three artists are presenting “A Place in the East”, an exhibition of works on paper, at the gallery João Esteves de Oliveira in Lisbon.