The art of puppets and Portuguese puppetry is being showcased through an exhibition titled “Objects With Soul: Portuguese Puppets” at the Fundação Oriente (FO) headquarters in Casa Garden.
The headquarters is located beside Jardim de Luís de Camões (白鴿巢公園), with the exhibition held on the basement.
Having kicked off earlier this month and continuing until June 29, the puppets presented in the exhibition were curated by Portuguese artist Elisa Vilaça from her private collection, according to an exhibition statement displayed at the venue. Vilaça’s collection numbers at over a thousand puppets from various eras and styles.
A recent separate statement by the Lisbon-based foundation noted that the exhibition, which is among a raft of activities held in celebration of “June, the Month of Portugal”, highlights “the rich tradition of puppetry in Portugal, presenting a selection of puppets that reflect the cultural and technical diversity of this unique art”.
Portugal celebrated its National Day on June 10, the day Luís de Camões passed away. His day of birth is not known.
Aside from the exhibition, there are also workshops to learn how to build one’s own puppets, the last session of which entitled “Cordéis com vida” (“Strings with life”) will take place this Saturday and is aimed at those aged at least 14.
One can visit the exhibition from Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. More details on the exhibition can be found on the FO Facebook page.
Photos: Rui Pastorin
