Presentation of exhibition publications Berlinde De Bruyckere and Julião Sarmento

Produced in conjunction with the eponymous exhibition that inaugurated the MAC/CCB on October 27 of last year, Crossing a Bridge on Fire is the editorial manifestation of Berlinde De Bruyckere’s vision for the museum space. Designed by Pedro Falcão and featuring photographic documentation by Mirjam Devriendt and António Jorge Silva, the two editions of this book (in Portuguese and English) also include unpublished essays by Delfim Sardo and Joaquim Caetano, along with a short story by Turkish curator Selen Ansen. Together, these thematic contributions reflect the broad discursive range of De Bruyckere’s work, weaving in anthological overviews, pairings with her historical influences (such as Lucas Cranach), and poetic explorations of themes adjacent to sexuality.

Abstracto, Branco, Tóxico e Volátil, beyond referring to a work by Julião Sarmento, is also the title of the final exhibition organised by one of Portugal’s most significant contemporary artists before his death. The expansive essays by Delfim Sardo, Alexandre Melo, and John Utterson frame a poignant visual record by André Cepeda, who photographed Sarmento’s studio after his death, along with an extensive set of exhibition space plans captured through the lens of António Jorge Silva. Pedro Falcão, a long-time collaborator of Sarmento’s, has brought these contributions together in a work that is both a tribute and a collection of memories.