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Anozero Biennial in Coimbra continues at the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova

Anozero Biennial in Coimbra continues at the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova

© Lusa

Portuguese

"It is confirmed [that Anozero will take place in the monastery in 2026], which is a source of great satisfaction for us. The continuation of the biennial for another year in the same location is guaranteed", the president of the Coimbra City Council (CMC), José Manuel Silva, told Lusa.

At the end of 2024, the Círculo de Artes Plásticas de Coimbra (CAPC), the entity that co-organizes the biennial with the CMC and the University of Coimbra (UC), noted that the biennial still did not have a defined venue for 2026, due to the transformation of the Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Nova into a hotel, which delayed the preparation of Anozero.

On the day that the solo exhibition that takes place alongside Anozero ends, the mayor stated that the municipality continues to work "to ensure that the biennial lasts forever".

Regarding which space will be used in 2027, José Manuel Silva understands that this decision is up to "the next municipal executive", considering that "it makes no sense to close this before the local elections", which will take place on October 12th.

The mayor stressed that he will continue to work so that the former Pediatric Hospital can become "a usable option".

The director of CAPC, Carlos Antunes, understands that maintaining Anozero in 2026 at the monastery "is not good news, but possible news", which allows the organization of the biennial to "continue to dream".

"A good piece of news would be a solution for the future and this is not a solution for the future. This is a temporary solution and we go from temporary solution to temporary solution, like a phoenix [...], which burns down every year and is reborn every year, which is always a shame", the official told Lusa.

Regarding definitive solutions for the biennial, Carlos Antunes confirmed that there is no news, fearing that, in a year's time, at the end of the next edition of Anozero, the organization will still "have no news about the future".

Unlike José Manuel Silva, the director of CAPC considered that we should not wait for the local elections, because the success of the biennial "cannot be dependent on local elections".

"Every day that passes, for me, is anguish", he stressed, reiterating that, until the hotel opens in the monastery, he will fight so that the biennial can continue in that monument.

Contacted by Lusa, the vice-rector of the UC responsible for culture, Delfim Leão, stated that the biennial "benefits immensely from being able to be held" at the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova, hoping that the definitive solution that is found will have "the same dignity".

"The instability regarding this solution is not good for anyone and it is good that the solution is clarified", he said, considering that the space that will be chosen beyond 2026 needs to provide guarantees that the biennial can continue on the path of great national and international projection of the event.

"When you reach a level of international projection, recognized by your own partners - even as the most impactful element of contemporary art in Portugal -, we cannot think of any other solution than to maintain and reinforce it", he highlighted.

The Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova, in Coimbra, which was the epicentre of the Anozero biennial, will be the target of a requalification project and transformation into a five-star hotel, following a public tender that awarded the concession to the company Soft Time for 50 years.

The decision was criticized by CAPC and by hundreds of people, including cultural agents and professionals in the field, who signed an open letter defending the maintenance of the biennial in that monument.

This position was also taken up by the artist Janet Cardiff who, together with George Bures Miller, is responsible for the solo exhibition that ends today at the monastery, entitled "The Shadow Factory".

Read Also: Portugal at the London Design Biennale with films about Madeira and Alentejo

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