Pavilhão Julião Sarmento

(in exhibition)

TAKE 1

The opening exhibition, TAKE 1, presents a selection of works from Julião Sarmento's collection and takes as its reference the cinematographic action - the “first take” - to mark the beginning of an exhibition journey that will unfold in multiple readings. The show has two main themes: Art and Life, centered on friendship, love, sharing and celebration between artists; and Space and Architecture, revealing the artist's fascination with dwelling, the construction of architectural design and materiality.

Among the artists represented in this exhibition are key names in international contemporary art. The collection, marked by affective closeness and exchanges between peers, reflects a deep understanding of art as an expanded field of artistic relationships.

Exhibition Dates

Gallery 0, until 26/04/2026

Gallery 2, until 12/10/2025

Gallery -1, until 10/09/2025

Take 1 (4/06/2025 – 26/04/2026), © Pavilhão Julião Sarmento, 2025, Fábio Cunha

ART IS A MATTER OF CONSCIOUSNESS

With a title taken from a stamp created and used by Julião Sarmento himself, the exhibition draws on the powerful axiom – Art is a Matter of Consciousness –, a phrase that, while seemingly self-contained, highlights and polarizes abstraction in favor of a questioning meant to unfold through dialogue between the artists, the public, and the museum space.

More than a conventional exhibition, Art is a Matter of Consciousness is conceived as a living space for learning and reflection, inviting an exchange of ideas about contemporary art. The selected works, displayed throughout the gallery, serve as the starting point for encounters and shared experiences, extending into a parallel program born from the close collaboration between the artists and the curator.

The curatorial selection of more than 30 artworks includes pieces not only from Julião Sarmento’s collection and features the artists Alejandro Cesarco, Alighiero Boetti, Céline Condorelli, Fernanda Fragateiro, Filipa César, Gabriel Kuri, Joana Bastos, Juan Araujo, Julião Sarmento, Komar & Melamid, and Yonamine. The public program accompanying the exhibition ranges from informal talks to theoretical seminars, art workshops, guided tours, and performances, among others.

Exhibition dates

04/11/2025 – 15/02/2026

Exhibition's public programme

To secure a place in the sessions, advance registration via email and the purchase of the museum admission ticket on the day of the session are required. Registration: first come, first served; limited capacity.

04/11/2025

6pm – 9.30pm

Exercise #1

with Joana Bastos

JOANA BASTOS

Fonte de chocolate, 2020 –

Chocolate fountain with an operator

Duration: 2 to 4 hours. Includes chocolate machine, plinth, and 1 kg of chocolate (dark, white, or milk). Whenever possible, the operator will be the artist. If not, another person may fulfill this role. Travel outside Lisbon is charged separately.

Courtesy of the artist

08/11/2025

11.15am – 12am

12.15am – 1pm

1pm – 3pm

3.15pm – 4pm

4.15pm – 5pm

Exercise #2

TALKS

with Juan Araujo, Sara Bichão, André Romão, António Júlio Duarte + Joana Bastos

Juan Araujo invites artists Sara Bichão, André Romão, and António Júlio Duarte to join him in sharing ideas, references, and materials of a single project or body of work. The program consists of a series of four different presentations, each approximately 45 minutes. Lunch will be served as part of the program, including Joana Bastos’ Olhos de açúcar.

JOANA BASTOS

Olhos de açúcar, 2020 –

Edible sugar eyes are placed on the food.

Duration: 1 hour. Includes edible sugar eyes.

Courtesy of the artist

Participation limited to 30 people.

Lunch: 10 €

The conversation will be held in Portuguese and Spanish.

Registration

09/11/2025

11am – 12am

Exercise #3

GUIDED TOUR

with Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, focus Komar & Melamid and Yonamine

The curator Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy introduces Art is a Matter of Consciousness and its accompanying program, as well as an ephemeral artwork by Komar & Melamid and a work-in-progress by Yonamine.

Participation limited to 30 people.

The visit will be conducted in English.

Registration

12/12/2025

5.30pm – 7pm

Exercise #4

FILM SCREENING AND TALK

with Filipa César

Filipa César presents her recent films, which greatly focus in Guinea Bissau and which significantly evolved since the creation of her early video works included in the exhibition

Participation limited to 30 people.

The conversation will be held in Portuguese.

Registration

13/12/2025

3pm – 6pm

Exercise #5

SEMINAR

with Filipa César and Céline Condorelli

A seminar co-organized by Filipa César and Céline Condorelli, two artists who discuss theory and literature in intersection with contemporary art.

Participation limited to 30 people.

The seminar will be conducted in English.

Registration

19/12/2025

5.30pm – 7pm

Exercise #6

TALK

with Marina Otero Verzier and Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy

A talk with the architectural historian and curator Marina Otero Verzier conducted by Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, speaking about exhibition making as much as data centers. Their dialogue will interlace ideas around archives as much as spatial practices by various artists participating in the exhibition.

Participation limited to 30 people.

The talk will be conducted in English.

Registration

20/12/2025

11am – 2pm

Exercise #7

SCULPTURE WORKSHOP

with Gabriel Kuri

A sculpture workshop focused on self-portraiture led by participating artist Gabriel Kuri. While the program starts and ends at the gallery space, it will likely include a walk in the neighborhood.

Participation limited to 15 people.

Workshop: 10 €

The workshop will be conducted in English.

Registration

20/12/2025

3pm – 6pm

Exercise #8

SEMINAR

with Alejandro Cesarco

Seminar led by Alejandro Cesarco, a participating artist in the exhibition, with references to visual arts, film and literature, and a focus on nonfigurative portraiture.

Participation limited to 20 people.

The seminar will be conducted in English.

Registration

31/01/2026

5.30pm – 6.30pm

Exercise #9

CONFERENCE

with Alexis Vaillant

Learn about a timeless work by Alighiero Boetti in the collection of Julião Sarmento with A Time of One’s Own, a lecture by writer and curator Alexis Vaillant.

Participation limited to 30 people.

The lecture will be conducted in English.

Registration

04/02/2026

1pm – 3pm

Exercise #10

with Joana Bastos and Sara Martins

For Art is a Matter of Consciousness, Joana Bastos has been commissioned three ‘services’ she developed in recent years. This third and last service entails the artist preparing a Room Service to the gallery’s maintenance worker Sara Martins.

JOANA BASTOS

Room Service, 2020 –

Room service. Duration: food preparation and table setting. Includes table, 3 chairs, tableware, and 3 meals. Whenever possible, the provider of this service is the artist herself; otherwise, it may be another person. Travel outside Lisbon is charged separately. Private service.

Courtesy of the artist

07/02/2026

5.30pm – 7pm

Exercise #11

TALK

with Fernanda Fragateiro, SIA Arquitectura and Luiza Teixeira de Freitas

A conversation moderated by curator Luiza Teixeira de Freitas, where participating artist Fernanda Fragateiro and SIA Arquitectura (Ana Cravinho, Inês Cordovil, Sofia Pinto Basto) discuss their latest collaboration and other socially-engaged projects.

Participation limited to 30 people.

The talk will be conducted in Portuguese.

Registration

(about)

PAVILHÃO JULIÃO SARMENTO

The Pavilhão Julião Sarmento is a new museum in the city of Lisbon, with a compact, intimate scale and a distinctive, internationally-oriented programmatic approach.

The building is the result of the renovation and conversion of a former food warehouse into a contemporary art center, designed by architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça, with visual identity by Pedro Falcão. It houses the collection of artist Julião Sarmento (Lisbon, 1948–2021), which serves as the foundation for a multidisciplinary program where visual arts intersect with cinema, performance, and other forms—guided by Sarmento’s own words: "A work of art must always ask questions rather than make assertions."¹

¹ Catalogue “Julião Sarmento”, MAMAC Nice, Silvana Editoriale, 2014, p. 67.

TEAM

Director: Isabel Carlos

Deputy Director and Executive Coordinator: Flávia Violante

Research and Mediation: Daniel Peres

Communication and Collection Management: Ana Rocha

Production: Cristina Correia

Preventive Conservation and Exhibition Set up: Romeu Gonçalves

Welcome Desk: Filipa Baptista, Laura Mota, Pedro Lopes

ADMISSION

Admission fee

5€

Reduced fee

2,5€ (50%)

13 - 25 years old (non-Lisbon residents)

3,5€ (30%)

Persons with specific needs; Cultural professionals

4€ (20%)

CML workers
*Exempt from VAT under art. 9

Free Admission

Children up to 12 years old; 13 - 25 years old / + 65 years old (inclusive) (residents in Lisbon); Sundays and public holidays until 2pm (residents in Lisbon); Registered tourism professionals (RNAAT), journalists, researchers and teachers in office; Members of APOM, ICOM, AICA; Unemployed (residents in Lisbon); Accompanying persons with specific needs

Guided tours

Educational establishments – 2€ per class

Private groups (more than 5 participants) – 3€ per person