24.10.2026–27.04.2027
curated by Inês Valle and Aida Rechena
«Linha de Horizonte» at the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom–Fortress of Peniche, Peniche, Portugal
«In a prison facility designed for political prisoners, everything serves a repressive function, aimed at physical and mental attrition, intending to break their spirits. The kitchen of the former political prison at Peniche Fort, despite its sterile, industrial appearance, was an instrument of repression against the prisoners through the poor-quality food served to them. Rui Macedo’s art exhibition ‘Linha de Horizonte’ challenges us to look beyond the architecture and structure of this seemingly innocuous space, and try to grasp the profound and systematic nature of the repression inflicted upon the resistance fighters and those struggling for freedom, whilst also sensing the resistance and solidarity amongst the prisoners.»
— Aida Rechena, co-curator, director of the MNRL, 2026
« Dedicated to freedom and the resilience of those who defend it, 'Linha de Horizonte' (Horizon Line) uses painting to create a space of friction between artwork and architecture, the visible and the hidden, and different times and places. In the former Peniche prison, the artist Rui Macedo brings the physical scars of oppression engraved in the place's material and immaterial culture to the surface of the painting. This exhibition refuses to focus solely on Portugal or its colonial past. Instead, it brings together different contexts of violence, expanding our horizons on freedom—never guaranteed and always under threat. Memories are not a static archive, but a living space of reclamation, where Art also asserts itself as a form of resistance. »
— Inês Valle, curator of the exhibition, 2026
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The site-specific painting exhibition Linha de Horizonte, curated by Inês Valle and Aida Rechena, runs from 24 October 2026 to 27 April 2027. It also marks the official opening to the public of the former kitchen of the Political Prison at Peniche Fortress.
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On the occasion of this exhibition, a publication will be released in 2027. If you would like to pre-order, please email.
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Inês Valle is a curator and creative producer whose practice is driven by international and interdisciplinary collaboration. She holds a BA in Fine Arts (Painting) and an MA in Curatorial Studies from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lisbon. She is the founder of The CERA PROJECT, a non-profit cultural organisation that fosters artistic dialogue between the Global North and South, promoting narratives beyond Western frameworks. Valle has collaborated with leading institutions, including Centro Cultural de Belém, Museu Coleção Berardo, CAM–Centro de Arte Moderna of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Canberra Contemporary Art, the National Museum of Lagos, and Artspace Aotearoa. At CAM Gulbenkian, she coordinated the Portuguese strand of the European lighthouse project Bauhaus of the Seas Sails. Her curatorial work spans Europe, Africa, and Australia, and includes exhibitions with artists such as Ângela Ferreira, António Ole, Ai Weiwei, Andrew Esiebo, Edson Chagas, Edward Summerton, Pablo Bartholomew, Marcelo Brodsky, Miguel Palma, Leo Asemota, Khaled Jarrar, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, George Osodi, and Graeme Williams. Her recent projects foreground co-creation, community engagement, and transdisciplinary research, reflecting her commitment to developing inclusive programming, critically engaging collections, and fostering meaningful dialogue between local and global perspectives within museum contexts.
Aida Rechena is a museologist and has been Director of the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom – Peniche Fortress since 2021. She is also a Visiting Professor in the Department of Museology at Lusófona University – Lisbon University Centre and an integrated researcher at the Centre for Art History and Artistic Research (CHAIA) at the University of Évora. She is also a member of the Portuguese delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Previously, she was Director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art – Chiado Museum, Casa-Museu Dr Anastácio Gonçalves, Museu Francisco Tavares Proença Júnior and Guarda Museum. She coordinates MINOM-Portugal and is a member of ICOM, ICOFOM and APOM. Her research focuses on social museology, gender, participation and memory. One of her projects is "As memórias que nos unem", a participatory museological initiative dedicated to preserving memories of resistance to fascism.
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