Specifically conceived for the Contemporary Gallery, the first ever exhibition by Hugo Canoilas (Lisbon, 1977) at the Serralves Museum is both a confirmation of, and an expansion on, some core concerns in his practice: a speculative approach to the relationship between art and reality (political and social events), a questioning of the characteristics and boundaries of painting, and an emphasis on collaborative work. Canoilas’ work has been examining the place of painting and how it is perceived both by museum visitors and passers-by (the artist is known for his public space interventions, which are never publicized as artworks). In the case of this exhibition at Serralves, Canoilas dispensed with the place where paintings are most expected to be found – the gallery walls –, and decided to intervene on spaces that are usually neglected by most painting exhibitions, namely the floor, the skirtboard and the ceiling of the Contemporary Gallery.
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