Memória (1964) returns four figures central to Portuguese theatre — Amélia Rey-Colaço, Beatriz Costa, Palmira Bastos and Laura Alves — to the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II in Lisbon, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the 1964 fire that destroyed the building. Vhils carved the portraits directly into the walls of the Salão Nobre, setting them into the panel mouldings beneath the gilded coffered ceiling so they read as part of the existing architectural framework. Developed on site from 18 to 21 September 2014, the piece reactivates the room through the presence of those who once defined it, and remained on public view through July 2015.
Year2014PlaceTeatro Nacional D. Maria II (Salão Nobre), Lisbon, PortugalMediumWalls