Students from Grândola stage an exhibition featuring works from the CAM Collection

29 sep 2026

Opened on 19 September, the exhibition ‘Emptiness occupies a vast space’ presents the outcome of a participatory curatorial project developed by Year 10 students at the António Inácio da Cruz Secondary School in Grândola, as part of the Foundation’s 70th-anniversary celebrations.

The exhibition, on display at the Grândola Library and Archive until 7 November, forms part of the initiative ‘Let’s create an exhibition with the CAM Collection?’, through which the CAM takes works from its collection to different regions of the country, placing secondary school pupils at the heart of the curatorial and creative process.

Opening of the exhibition 'Emptiness occupies a vast space' © Município de Grândola

Drawing on themes such as emotional emptiness, anxiety about the future, identity, physicality and violence against women’s bodies, the students from Grândola have constructed a narrative that seeks to build bridges between art and the human experience. The result is an exhibition that brings together different perspectives and sensibilities, inviting visitors to reflect and engage in dialogue.

The exhibition features works by the artists Irineu Destourelles, João Louro, Manuel Botelho, Clara Menéres, Martha Telles, José de Guimarães, António Areal, Pedro Cabrita Reis, Sophia Vari, Sérgio Pombo and Noé Sendas.

Forming part of the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the Gulbenkian Foundation and developed in partnership with the National Arts Plan, this initiative aims to bring young people closer to contemporary art and actively involve them in the creation of an exhibition. Throughout the process, the pupils reflected on different works and the themes they raise, devising an exhibition itinerary centred on issues they consider relevant to today’s society.