We should always go back to the places where we were happy. Arquipélago – Centro de Artes Contemporâneas is that place for me: a home. A house whose foundations date back to 2015, when a young, dedicated, and eager team began a new era of culture in the Azores. It’s not too egotistical to claim it in such a declarative way, because, and not neglecting all the work of cultural agents, public and private institutions, the opening of the Archipelago brought with it a set of new possibilities, new tool,s and new narratives. It was also a public and political statement.

More than just an exhibition space, as its name suggests, its valences allow for artistic interdisciplinarity. It is at this crossroads that creation is sustained. It’s not just the final work that matters to us but the whole creative process. What motivates an artist to create? What era are we in, and how does this influence us? What geographical space do we occupy, and how does it relate to the questions we seek to answer?

Over these 10 years, Arquipélago has learned to listen, and this has been the formula for bringing people together and making them feel that this is also a place they can inhabit. When we talk about culture, we talk about who we are, who we would like to be, where we belong, and how we want to belong. And all of us, without exception, want to know to which society we belong. More than that, what society we want to create, how we want to be with each other.

The arts stir our senses and imagination; they open up new worlds beyond what is in front of us, which is fundamental for any democracy: helping us discover who we are and where we belong. Berguer once told us that “we only see what we look at. Looking is an act of choice”. The Archipelago has to be, even more, a place with which we identify to help us see with the awareness that each gaze is unique. It has changed and shaped my relationship with culture and the arts. We are also the places we inhabit. Let it be a place for everyone to inhabit. Democracy also needs these spaces for sharing and creation to make itself count.

Congratulations, Arquipélago. With a hug to all the excellent professionals and friends from so many adventures who, in the midst of many adversities, have managed to defend the institution’s name. Thank you for erecting and re-erecting, whenever necessary, this important House of Culture and the Arts of the Azores.

Helena Barros is a writer who resides on the island of Santa Maria, Azores.

Translated by Diniz Borges