The exhibition I Ate the Civilization and It Poisoned Me, curated by the MA students in Culture Studies under the supervision of Prof. Luísa Santos is ongoing in Galeria Amélia de Mello, UCP (Library building at campus in Palma de Cima).
The exhibition is organized under the collaboration protocol between CAM – Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian and The Lisbon Consortium.
‘I Ate Civilization and It Poisoned Me’ presents an introspective and collective exploration of human markings on the landscape through time, and how in turn, the environment imprints itself back on us.
Bringing together thirteen works from the Collection of CAM, ‘I Ate Civilization and It Poisoned Me’ offers a meditative reflection on the ever-evolving relationship between Nature and humans across past, present, and future. Presenting artists from different geographical and temporal locales, this exhibition weaves narratives that evoke our enduring dialogue with the natural world. The displayed works are situated along a spectrum of interconnected ideas: coevolution and coexistence (between the environment, humans, and technology); memory and fragmentation (of spaces, places, and landscapes); fragility (of memories, heritages, times, and humans’ relationships with Nature); alongside transformation and renewal (of natural, human, and emotional processes).
The opening of the exhibition was held in the presence of the Rector of the University and the Director of the Lisbon Consortium, Prof. Isabel Capeloa Gil; Executive Trustee of the Gulbenkian Foundation, Guilherme d’Oliveira Martins; and the Director of CAM – Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, Benjamin Weil.
Artists: Ana Jotta, Carlos Bunga, Carlos Roque, Cecília Costa, Clara Menéres, Hugo Canoilas, João Louro, Jorge Queiroz, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Maria Capelo, Mónica de Miranda, Sara Bichão and Sara Sadik.
Curators: Csenge Bognár, Camilla Calamai, Carlotta Ceraudo, Elsa Damas, Marie Fassbender, Gaete Ganay, Triniti Goldsmith, Daniel Guedes, Colombe Lecoq-Vallon, Leonor Lisboa, Suzanne Marivoet, Mohamed Nejib Mokaddem, Giulia Paglia, Olga Rogova, César Sarno, Caroline Skäringer, Antonina Stanczuk-Sturgólewska, Elena Suppes, Sofia Talami, Mirian Vanda, Radina Velcheva, Lorena Vest e Anna Zörner.
Exhibition design: Anna Zörner, Camilla Calamai, Marie Fassbender, Mirian Vanda, Radina Velcheva
Coordinator: Luísa Santos
I Ate the Civilization and It Poisoned Me – Galeria Amélia de Mello, UCP (Palma de Cima, 1649-023 Lisbon), May 19- July 11, 2025.
The Lisbon Consortium 