From 2010 to 2012, Miguel Henriques photographed the neighborhood where he lived for 28 years, Olivais. A selection of 37 photographs from the series will be on display at the Fabrica Braço de Prata, an unusual, nameless location which prides itself on exhibiting work from a variety of art forms.
After graduating from the Ar.co school with degrees in architecture and photography, Henriques developed a formal language combining the two discplines. This series is part of a larger reflection on the representation of Lisbon’s less visible neighborhoods like Encarnaçao, Parques das Naçoes and Palmela. The name Olivais means little to outsiders. For Henriques, it was important to remind viewers how the process of urbanization had marked the area:
“The construction of the Lisbon airport, which opened in 1942, created access roads between Olivais and the capital. The State tried to create social structures modeled on the ‘garden city’ movement, [reserving] 70% of the units for social housing and 30% to be had rent-free, with facilities for sports, study, commerce and recreation.”
It started out as a thesis project but grew to become a deeper aesthetic investigation into questions of architecture and the city. Henriques started out using a 35mm but eventually settled on a view camera for the sake of “rigor.” Instead of a “typological” approach, which the photographer was careful to avoid, what emerges from the photographs is a psychological portrait of the neighborhood. The human figure may be somewhat lacking, but the way the neighborhoods are shot doesn’t leave one feeling indifferent.
The identity of the place is not rediscovered through daily wanderings, but through the systematization of the image. The face of the neighborhood appears as the management of space. The works are reminiscent of the celebrated portraits of the Bechers, for whom the idea of a modern architecture portrait resonated deeply.
EXHIBITION
Olivais, Miguel Henriques
February 6th – March 1st 2014
Galerie Fabrica Braço de Prata
Rua da Fabrica de Material de Guerra
1950-128 Lisboa
Portugal
[email protected]
tel : 965 518 068
http://miguelhenriquesblogblr.tumblr.com
http://www.bracodeprata.com/index.shtml
