From 5 to 8 November, Lisbon hosts Lisbon Art Weekend — four days of gallery walks, meetings with artists and open studios. You can see an exhibition together with the artist who made it, stay for brunch at a collective atelier, or step into the spaces where artists actually work.
Two contemporary art specialists who had moved to Lisbon came up with the format in 2019. They looked for a gallery weekend like the ones in Berlin or Madrid, and when they did not find one, they decided to organise it themselves. The first edition covered 22 venues; this year more than 60 are taking part, from small studios to museums and private collections. Over four days they will hold 95 events.
All festival events are free; some tours and sessions require registration. Many meetings in the programme are in English, including some with the artists themselves. Here are a few places to meet the artists and see their work.
Where to start
For a first walk we chose four places that work in different ways. One gallery introduces art from Angola. At a collective studio you can watch an exhibition change. Two more addresses let you look inside studios and take part in making a work of art.
THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE — a gallery between Luanda and Lisbon
The gallery opened in the Angolan capital in 2016 and launched a space in Lisbon in 2019. Its programme connects the European art scene with Africa and other countries of the Global South. It is a way to see Portugal’s ties with the wider world through the art of today.
For its tenth anniversary the gallery has prepared Fractal: The Whole in Every Part. The exhibition brings together more than 50 artists of different generations. On Friday, 6 November, at 18:00 there will be a tour in Portuguese, followed by a reception. No separate registration is listed.
Address: Rua da Emenda, 72. From Thursday to Saturday the gallery is open from 12:00 to 19:00, on Sunday until 17:00.
Atelier Concorde — an exhibition that changes before your eyes
The collective space on Rua Leite Vasconcelos has existed since 2010. Artists work here, and it hosts exhibitions and residencies. The project is run by the artists themselves, so the studio and the exhibition room constantly feed into each other.
For Lisbon Art Weekend they have conceived 8/7/6/5, an exhibition that will change over the course of the festival. The artists move works around, replace parts of installations and try out new combinations. Visitors see the decision-making that usually stays behind the studio door.
On Saturday, 7 November, from 12:00 to 15:00, there is a tour with the artists in English and a brunch. No registration is listed for it. Address: Rua Leite Vasconcelos, 43A.
DUPLEX — an artist’s working day behind an open door
DUPLEX began as a response to the isolation in which artists often work. It has permanent studios, places for artists in residence and an independent non-profit gallery. As a result, the exhibition programme sits right next to the artists’ everyday work.
On Saturday, 7 November, from 17:00 to 20:00, it holds open studios. You can see where art is made and meet the people who make it. According to the programme, no advance booking is needed. Address: Rua Angelina Vidal, 31C.
Project DNA — make part of a future sculpture
The artist Serra Behar works with azulejos, the ceramic tiles familiar from Portuguese façades. In Project DNA, tile fragments become material for a conversation about memory and city life. Participants make individual pieces that will later become part of a large DNA-shaped sculpture.
The project uses only broken tiles that cannot be restored, collected from authorised sources. No whole tiles are taken from façades. The process itself is documented: participants will be photographed and filmed.
Sessions are in English, with Portuguese translation if needed. No previous experience is required; participants must be at least nine years old. Sessions are scheduled for 7 and 8 November: 11:00–13:00 and 15:00–17:00. The address given in the organiser’s form is Rua Georgina Ribas, 4.
All the November sessions are now fully booked. The organiser’s registration form now collects names for the next workshop, on 6 December.
Can you go with a guide in English?
Yes, but tours fill up fast. On Saturday, 7 November, there is a two-hour walk around Marvila, from 15:30 to 17:30. The planned route takes in MAD Marvila, Stamika Collective x CiReine, Galeria Francisco Fino and dialogue. It is a chance to compare several venues in one neighbourhood without planning the route yourself.
Francisco Fino has its own history of moves. The gallery started in 2012 with exhibitions at different venues and got a permanent space in 2017. Today it combines sales with a research programme, publications and collaborations with other art organisations.
The meeting point is the main entrance of MAD Marvila, Rua Amorim, 3. Each participant had to register separately, and the registration form now says the walk is fully booked. Other tours marked EN are listed in the programme, and the Marvila venues can be visited on your own.
How to choose what is most interesting
Open studios suit those more interested in the process than in a finished display. A tour with an artist or curator gives you context and a chance to ask questions. An exhibition opening is easier for a free visit, without having to arrive for the start of a tour.
For a walk on your own, two or three places in one neighbourhood are enough. On Saturday, for example, you could start at Atelier Concorde and drop into DUPLEX in the evening. That leaves time for a stroll and lunch in between. A trip to Marvila is best treated as a separate route.
In the official programme, each event shows its language and registration conditions. EN means English, PT means Portuguese. The time of a meeting may differ from the gallery’s opening hours. Some tours fill up in advance: the Estrela tour and Here I Stand at MAC/CCB are already full.
After 8 November you can keep exploring. The festival website has a participant catalogue with links to their own programmes. An address you found for one weekend may become a place you drop into on your way home.
