The municipality of Lagoa is promoting the painting and photography exhibition “O silêncio não morre” (Silence doesn’t die) by Paulo Damiao and Wanderson Alves, which will be on show in the main hall of the Santo António Convent, home to the Lagoa Museum, according to a press release from the municipality. The opening, which is open to the community, takes place on October 12 at 17h00.
The Museu de Lagoa challenged the two artists to join forces for the exhibition: Paulo Damião in painting and Wanderson Alves in photography. In “Silence Does not Die,” Paulo Damião focuses on hiding during the creative process of painting: “What is shown to the viewer is the limit that serves the painter to be understood or suggested to his reading,” reads the same note.
The very way in which Paulo Damião’s works are exhibited “is different from all those presented in the main hall: the canvases are suspended, hidden from each other, leading the viewer to discover them as they make their way around the room.” All the works presented are new and were created on purpose for this exhibition.
Wanderson Alves is showing works from his series “Na Pele, o Silêncio,” which has already been exhibited in galleries such as MadMarvila (Lisbon), Galeria Pedro Oliveira (Porto), and Casa da Granja (Amarante). In Lagoa, the photographer presents 36 photographs that explore the various forms of silence.
Although he is a well-known artist from the Azores, this is the first time Paulo Damião has shown his work in Lagoa. Based in Lisbon, he has a degree in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon. He has been exhibiting his work regularly since 2004. He is represented in public collections, such as Arquipélago – Centro de Artes Contemporâneas, the Legislative Assembly of the Government of the Azores, Coimbra Municipal Museum, Sintra Arts Museum, and private national and international collections. She has participated in over twenty art fairs in Portugal and abroad, including ARCO Madrid, Pan Amsterdam, Vienna Fair, Art Cologne Fair, Art Madrid, and Drawing Room in Lisbon and Madrid. He has participated in dozens of group exhibitions in Portugal.
Wanderson Alves, a Brazilian national, lives in Lisbon. He is a photographer with a postgraduate degree in Contemporary Philosophy and Photography. He is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Aesthetics and Artistic Studies – Photography and Cinema – at Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He has taken part in several solo and group exhibitions, including “Cidade (Re)Velada,” held in 2014 in the city of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, where he also held an artistic residency in partnership with the Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art (PHICA). Following this exhibition, one of her photographs was chosen to be part of the permanent collection of the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum. He has participated in several group exhibitions in Portugal, Brazil, and the USA. He is represented in public and private collections in Portugal and abroad.
The exhibition will be on display until January 17, 2025. Those interested can visit the exhibition free of charge from Monday to Friday, from 9:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30. Schools will be able to schedule activities with the Lagoa City Council’s educational service.

In Diário da Lagoa, Clife Botelho-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks the Luso-American Education Foundation for sponsoring FILAMENTOS.