What can emerge from the encounter between an object with almost three centuries of history and Bombarda’s contemporary creative scene?
Afinidades is built upon this encounter between different periods, artistic languages and ways of seeing. In each edition, an object from the collection of the Soares dos Reis National Museum is chosen as the starting point, inviting artists connected to the Bombarda Quarter to develop new interpretations and establish relationships between heritage, place and contemporary creation.
Following two editions dedicated to contemporary jewellery and ceramics in 2024 and 2025, the project returns in 2026 to explore a new artistic field: contemporary graphic practices.
The 2026 Edition — Contemporary Graphic Practices
Curated by Júlio Dolbeth, an illustrator, researcher and professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, this third edition invited artists working in or represented within the Bombarda area to create original works inspired by an object from the collection of the Soares dos Reis National Museum.
The project also features exhibition design by Sílvia Pinto Costa and production by Marina Costa and Vera Gonçalves, as part of a team bringing together members of both partner institutions.
The starting point was an English-style glass mug produced at the Royal Glass Factory of Coina between 1719 and 1747. Made from carefully cut, transparent colourless glass, the piece bears witness to the technical development of Portuguese glassmaking in the eighteenth century and to the circulation of knowledge and influences within the European context.
The transparency, brilliance, volume and history of this utilitarian object opened up multiple possibilities for interpretation. Through drawing, illustration, collage, printmaking and mixed-media practices, the artists were invited to translate matter into image and establish new relationships between object, memory and narrative.
The 2026 edition began on 28 March with a public session at the Soares dos Reis National Museum. The event introduced the programme, its source of inspiration, the curatorial approach and the open-call process, bringing together representatives from the Museum, Associação Quarteirão Criativo and the artistic community.
The presentation of the English-style glass mug by Paula Oliveira, manager of the Museum’s Furniture, Glass and Print collections, provided insight into the object’s historical, material and museological context. The session also revealed how an apparently simple object can hold multiple stories of production, circulation, use and transformation.
The programme extended beyond the open call. In May, the Museum hosted the Laminado Gráfico workshop, led by Júlio Dolbeth and Marta Belkot. Using Tetra Pak packaging repurposed as printing plates, participants explored the principles of intaglio printing and new ways of translating the volume and transparency of glass onto the surface of paper.
Through these different moments, Afinidades became more than an exhibition: it developed into a shared process of encounter, learning and creation involving artists, institutions and audiences.
Forty-Nine Interpretations of a Single Object
The outcome of this journey can now be seen in the exhibition Afinidades 2026 — Contemporary Graphic Practices, which opened on 25 July in the Sala das Pedras at the Soares dos Reis National Museum.
The exhibition brings together 49 works by artists connected to the Bombarda Quarter. Starting from the same object, each participant developed a unique interpretation, revealing the diversity of artistic languages, techniques and perspectives that characterises contemporary creative practice in the area.
Together, the works transform the English-style glass mug into a starting point for multiple narratives. Between the permanence of glass and the fragility of paper, between historical memory and a contemporary gaze, they show how heritage can remain alive when it is questioned, reinterpreted and brought into dialogue with new artistic practices.
Until 13 September, visitors can vote in person. The public vote, together with the jury’s assessment, will contribute to the selection of the winning work. The exhibition remains on view until 11 October 2026.
Afinidades thus establishes itself as a platform connecting the Soares dos Reis National Museum with Bombarda’s creative ecosystem. By bringing together heritage, place and contemporary creation, the project opens up new possibilities for discovery, both for Museum visitors and for those who live, work and create in the quarter.
Afinidades 2026 — Contemporary Graphic Practices
Venue: Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis
Dates:
- Exhibition open until 11 October 2026
- Public voting open until 13 September 2026
Photos: Associação Quarteirão Criativo, by João Octávio Peixoto
This edition of Afinidades is promoted by the Soares dos Reis National Museum in partnership with Associação Quarteirão Criativo, with patronage from the Super Bock Group, sponsorship from DORF and support from Círculo Dr. José de Figueiredo — Friends of the Soares dos Reis National Museum.
