The exhibition TAWAPAYERA curated by Alexandre Melo, featuring works by Júlio Pomar, Delameida Esilva, Igor Jesus e Tiago Alexandre, part of the Past and Present – Lisbon, Ibero-American Capital of Culture 2017 programme, at the Atelier-Museu Júlio Pomar, continues a programme of exhibitions at the Atelier-Museu that aims to connect Júlio Pomar’s work with the work of other artists and establish new linkages between the painter’s work and contemporaneity.

Again, this exhibition was conceived from the very beginning as a specific intervention in the Atelier-Museu’s space, where Júlio Pomar and three younger artists – Dealmeida Esilva Igor Jesus and Tiago Alexandre – explore different cultures and imagination through various mediums.

The exhibition Tawapayera is best summed up by its curator: “My relationship with Júlio Pomar is made up of a series of very different moments in his work and in my own life. The fascination that gripped me the first time I saw his work is renewed in the sheer clarity with which I remember them at unexpected moments. That was certainly the case with the Amazon pictures. When I had a dip in the River Amazon, I recalled having seen them. When I took part in the Bois Bumba de Parintins festivities, they took on a greater significance. It’s not a matter of realism. For artists, and indeed people in general, energy and life, and, if possible, joy are the raw stuff for grappling with challenges and rising to encounters. In this case, Júlio Pomar, Dealmeida Esilva, Igor Jesus and Tiago Alexandre all rose to the challenge. This marks a confluence between a plethora of artistic practices today, and between Ibero-American cultures and imaginary realms, past and future.”