EU SOU OUTRA PESSOA by Hilda Reis + Art & Craft Refúgio

The exhibition EU SOU OUTRA PESOA (I AM ANOTRHER PERSON) by Hilda Reis + Art & Craft Refúgio
will open on April 12, from 6 pm. to 8.30 pm. The exhibition will run until May 4 and the admission is
free.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of April 25 is to remember the historic moment when Portugal freed
itself from an authoritarian regime and paved the way for democracy, freedom and human rights.
In this context, Apaixonarte is hosting the exhibition EU SOU OUTRA PESSOA, by Hilda Reis with the
collective of artists and craftspeople, Art & Craft Refúgio, who represent a contemporary symbol of
this freedom.

Voices from different backgrounds, migrants and refugees, have space here to express themselves
artistically and contribute to building an inclusive society.

“Ruin the pretty pictures!” This was the phrase that artist Hilda Reis repeated over and over again
during the first Art & Craft session of 2024 at Residências Refúgio project by LARGO Residências.
Scissors in hand, the participants began to carefully follow the instructions and old photos, carved up,
awoke to a new life.

It’s a complex task. Building a story on top of the story the photos tell. Appropriating, transforming,
transgressing. Start something new, but not from scratch. Memories of other times gradually gain new
life. Black and white becomes color, color becomes life. There are ballerinas, weddings, workers,
family photos, baby photos and engagement photos. All the moments that were important to
someone are now content for artistic creation.

The exhibition EU SOU OUTRA PESSOA is a collective experience that values the path that each
person wants to follow. Collages with photographs, letters, documents, paints and varnishes celebrate
the values of April through the hands of an intercultural community that transcends borders and
stereotypes.

ART & CRAFT REFÚGIO is a collective of artists, migrants and people in situations of refuge, created in
2021. The group meets weekly at Largo Residências, in Lisbon, to share the collective imagination and
discover new meanings through craft creation and artistic practice, speaking a common language,
which is not always made up of words, but of images and the process of making.

In line with Largo Residências’ mission, the project paves the way for this community to build
relationships with local and international artists who develop participatory and inclusive practices.

HILDA REIS (1971), born in Porto, finds collage as her main form of expression. During the month of
February 2024, the group worked with the artist, who appropriates, destroys and transforms
photographs from forgotten family albums as a trigger for the narration of real and invented stories
and memories.

Her work has already been exhibited in various venues, including Largo Residências in Lisbon, Casa
das Artes and Galeria Mariana Mendes Delgado in Porto, and Centro Cultural Matadero in Madrid. Her
work belongs to private collections in Portugal, the UK and Germany.