Opening Friday October 16th, 2026 6-10pm

Presented by Armazém das Artes, Territory: Frontiers in Public Art is a major international exhibition and 18-month cultural program curated by Hyland Mather, exploring the expanding language of contemporary public art.

Bringing together ten internationally recognized artists now living and working in Portugal, the exhibition explores the expanding language of contemporary public art through muralism, painting, sculpture, installation, intervention, and socially engaged practice.

Representing diverse cultural backgrounds and artistic traditions, the participating artists have each established Portugal as the base for their contemporary practice. Territory celebrates this unique moment, positioning Portugal as an increasingly important center for international artistic exchange while examining how artists continue to redefine the relationship between artwork, architecture, landscape, and public life.

At its core, Territory asks a simple question: What constitutes public art today? While murals remain one of its most recognizable forms, contemporary public art has evolved into a far broader field of artistic practice. The exhibition embraces this expanded definition, presenting artists whose work moves fluidly between the street, the gallery, the museum, and the public realm.

The inaugural exhibition features works by AKA Corleone, Bisco Smith, Catarina Leitão, Madi, Mando Marie, MOTS, Padure, Rudolfo Quintas, The Lost Object, and Wasted Rita. Together, they represent an extraordinary cross-section of contemporary practice, each advancing a distinct vision of public art while contributing to a broader conversation about place, identity, participation, and the evolving cultural landscape.

Throughout Armazém das Artes, visitors will encounter newly commissioned murals, large-scale installations, sculpture, painting, editions, works on paper, immersive environments, and site-specific interventions created especially for the exhibition. Rather than presenting artists in isolation, Territory encourages dialogue between practices, revealing unexpected relationships throughout the galleries and transforming the museum into a shared landscape of artistic exchange.

Beyond the exhibition itself, Territory unfolds as an eighteen-month cultural program extending well beyond the museum walls. Public artworks, artist residencies, lectures, screenings, educational initiatives, community events, and satellite projects will continue to activate Armazém das Artes and the surrounding region, establishing the institution as an ongoing platform for contemporary public art and international cultural exchange.

A bilingual exhibition catalogue will document the project through newly commissioned essays, artist profiles, installation photography, and original writing, creating a lasting record of one of Portugal's most ambitious explorations of contemporary public art.

Rather than defining public art through a single medium or methodology, Territory celebrates its diversity. It is an invitation to reconsider where art belongs, who it is for, and how artists continue to shape the cultural landscapes we inhabit. By bringing together ten distinctive artists who have made Portugal their home, Territory establishes Armazém das Artes as a meeting place for ideas, experimentation, and the future of public art.