Eu Gosto da Europa, Mas a Europa Não Gosta de Mim…

In his second solo exhibition in the municipality of Torres Vedras (“Classificados”, 2006), the artist Carlos No (Lisbon, 1967) presents at CCCTV works that are part of two of his most recent series, “Europa” and “Villa Bidão”.

“Europa” and “Villa Bidão” are two series that address the issue of migration, in the first case, and favelas, in the second, but are interconnected both by the issues they address – the problem of social exclusion, for example – and by the concepts associated with them – Territory, Border, Margin, Poverty and Segregation.

Although employing different methods and mediums in each of these series, Carlos No sought in both to draw attention to the precarious living and housing conditions of millions of people worldwide, as well as to the obstacles, blockages and prohibitions to free movement to which many of them are subjected in their search for a better place to live. Although these are two themes that continue to be part of the current news agenda, namely the issue of migration and refugees, we would like to mention that some of these works date from 2008, well before the so-called "Refugee Crisis".

Therefore, it was not an approximation or "collage" that the artist made to a currently highly publicized theme.

These are themes and issues that are already old in Carlos No's work ("Caminhos", 1999, for example), but due to their relevance, it makes sense to show them now.

Thus, this exhibition is characterized by being an exhibition whose works, through the ethical implications of the works on display, based on a permanent reflection on the human condition, aim to value human dignity and Human Rights.

"I like Europe but Europe doesn't like me" is an exhibition that seeks to question, in addition to the concepts already mentioned, others such as Home, Housing, Inclusion and Equity.