Exhibition Opening: 20 March at 4:30 pm

The work Jardin suspendu [Hanging Garden] by the artist Mona Hatoum (Beirut, Lebanon, 1952) is a living organism that associates opposing images of conflict and perseverance, destruction and life. At first glance, this barrier composed of jute bags is reminiscent of a war scene. However, each bag is filled not with sand, but with fertile soil in which seeds of different types of grass germinate, giving way, over the course of the exhibition, to a lush hanging garden. Hatoum, an artist of Palestinian origin based in London since the 1970s, frequently makes use of simple materials and objects from the industrial world, the domestic environment and popular imagination to create powerful installations with deep political and poetic undertones, exploring relationships between migration, oppression, freedom and memory.

At a time when Portugal celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the first free elections with universal suffrage, and when the world is beset with migration crises and violent armed conflicts, the presentation of this unique work in Melgaço, a town also marked by a history of emigration, is particularly significant, promoting a reflection on the past, present and future of community life in Portugal and abroad, considering the transformative potential of art and culture.

This presentation is part of the Serralves Collection Touring Exhibitions Programme, which aims to make the Foundation’s collection accessible to different audiences across the country.

Production: Fundação de Serralves — Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Porto