Visual Arts

Mission

Created in 1994 as a nonprofit organization by a civic initiative, Galeria Zé dos Bois (ZDB) is an art center based in a 2.500m² palace in the heart of Bairro Alto, Lisbon. A creation, production and promotion structure for contemporary art, ZDB instigates the research and investigation of artists involved with visual and performing arts, as well as film and music. The center produces and presents exhibitions, and hosts more than 150 arts events per year, including residencies, educational programs, theater, dance performances, lectures, and music concerts. Driven by the desire to intensify and exchange knowledge with artists through creative practices, ZDB promotes international and local residencies and establishes long-term relationships with artists, aiming to produce unique projects.

Activities

Visual Arts
ZDB stimulates the artistic research and creation by providing means of production and visibility to national and international artists. All ZDB’s exhibitions are accompanied by actions of the Educational Department such as cinema cycles, debates, guided tours and workshops.

Negócio – Performative Arts
ZDB develops and hosts more than 30 artistic residencies and/or plays per year. Focusing on co-productions and on-site creation, our team assists all the creation process, supporting design, production, communication, presentation and promoting its circulation. In addition to supporting independent creators, ZDB has been welcoming and developing synergies with a significant number of associated structures.

ZDBmüzique – Music
ZDBmüzique seeks to give space to creative manifestations in music and it aims to promote transgressive and exploratory music acts, with different techniques and languages: improvised music, electroacoustic, jazz, modern pop, rock and noise. ZDBmüzique also promotes the creation (with artistic residencies) and circulation of music through partnerships with other institutions such as: Casa da Música, Serralves, Teatro Maria Matos, Teatro Aveirense, Centro Cultural Vila Flor, Gnration, Teatro Municipal da Guarda amongst others.

Department of Education
ZDB’s department of education was born in 2005. It aims to stimulate the reflection on the field of artistic production in a constructive and participative way. The department of education conducts regular guided tours to exhibitions, settled by appointment; it also carries out programs in the scope of public education and provides access to a specific program of performing arts.

History

ZDB started in 1994 as a non-profit association. Its purpose, was to “promote exhibitions, installations, video shows, performances, musical performances and other activities” in the artistic field. The primordial aim of ZDB’s fifteen founders was to create an alternative structure to the institutional and commercial panorama that they faced in the beginning of the decade of 1990. At present, ZDB still retains the identity that made its history, a transversal idea of public service who values the spirit of collaboration and empathy, constantly searching for new audiences, but always maintaining a strong relationship with the surrounding community, while stimulating debate and participation.

Team

Programming and Performative Arts Management
Marta Furtado

Art Curation and Visual Arts Management
Natxo Checa

Programming and Music Management
Sérgio Hydalgo

Communication and Production
Catarina Monteiro

Executive Production
Marcos Silva

Department of Education
Joana Leão

Accounting
Contatraduz – Florbela Cruz e Rita Silva

Graphic Design
Sílvia Prudencio

Text Editing
Nuno Afonso, Bruno Silva, Rui Miguel Abreu, João Horta, José Marmeleira

Sound Engineering
Kellzo

Sound Engineering Assistant
Gonçalo Formiga

Electrical Technician
Ricardo Ferreira

Maintenance
Maria Emília Pereira e Sambu Massama

Installation and Building Maintenance
Ihor Brozhyna, Alecksadr Palamarckrk

Front of house and bar
Sónia Silva, Paula Pereira, Luis Puto, Gaetano Belvedere, Luiza Gago Silva, Carlota Lagido, Liliana Baroni, Claudia Lancaster, Carlos Gaspar, Neuza Rodrigues, Miguel Abras, Tomás Abreu, Teresa Castro, Judece Neto, Luis Julião, Orlando Rodriguez.

Intern ZDB 2019
Faculdade de Letras– Francisca Ribeiro