Life and war in the photographs of josé m. Rodrigues

01.05.2022

Untitled, Original is the new exhibition by photographer José M. Rodrigues at the Centro Interpretativo da  Cidade de Évora, at the Palácio de D. Manuel. There are about 100 current photographs that represent  people and life transformed by the war. It can be seen until the 26th of June. 

“In the final work of this exhibition, the war happened. The human part was invaded by her. Show  life became a priority, so I modified the exhibition. Alongside the dream of showing life  which is possible, these photographs also urgently intend to alert to what it is like to live  under war”, explains the author, awarded the Pessoa Prize in 1999.

“The works are divided into panels, each with two or three photographs. In this way, a sequence is created between the panels themselves and an interior sequence in each panel that builds a whole . Another facet of this exhibition is the large formats. They are strips in pure cotton paper loose
in space and in the air, which make it possible to get closer to the eye”, he adds. 

With a career long linked to Évora and Alentejo – where he grew up, despite being born in Lisbon  – Rodrigues has been divided between Portugal and the Netherlands. He is a professor at the Visual Arts Department  at the University of Évora since 2009.