Centenary of Mário Cesariny: Primeira Pessoa

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On August 9th, the day that marks the centenary of the surrealist master Mário Cesariny de Vasconcelos (1923-2006, Portugal), (his) Freedom’s House and Perve Galeria have the honour of opening, at 6pm, "Primeira Pessoa" (First Person) and "... e os seus contemporâneos" (... and his contemporaries). Exploring the author's unwavering commitment to freedom, among a significant part of unpublished material, hundreds of documents, photographs, texts and works of art by Cesariny and several of his contemporaries are presented. The public will be able to take with them numbered copies of this extensive documentary collection, which will certainly allow multiple and varied revelations.

Through the handwriting and voice of Mário Cesariny, "Primeira Pessoa", on show at his Freedom's House, presents a remarkable set of unpublished documents from the various collections that the institution houses, allowing unique access to the human, spiritual and creative dimension of the author, who saw in artistic endeavour the fundamental essence of the existence of the free man. Among correspondence, photographs, poems and visual artworks, it is highlighted, for example, the correspondence with the surrealist sculptor and poet Isabel Meyrelles (1929, Portugal), or the one exchanged with Yoko Ono, where the Japanese artist commissioned him an artwork to honour John Lennon in Central Park, in New York.

Alongside "... e os seus contemporâneos", on show at Perve Galeria, a gallery adjacent to Freedom's House - Mário Cesariny, by presenting hundreds of unpublished materials in an installation conceived by the curator Carlos Cabral Nunes, it is allowed access to Mário Cesariny's permanent effort of resistance against the different movements that sought to silence the need for liberating expression. This affirms his permanent proposal of poetic, plastic and social revolution, whose echoes are still found today in many contemporary artistic and social manifestations.

"Primeira Pessoa" and "... e os seus contemporâneos" will be on display until November 26th, the day that marks 17 years since Cesariny's death.