On 27 March, the Alfaia Cultural Association in Loulé will open ‘Ecologia Quotidiana’ (Everyday Ecology), the first solo exhibition by Portuguese artist Inês Coelho da Silva, curated by Kevin Bellò.
Based on an expanded understanding of ecology, which integrates interconnections between organisms, territories and modes of coexistence, the exhibition subverts the traditional format of the solo show, shifting the focus from singular authorship to a practice deeply rooted in the community.
Instead of asserting an isolated vision, Inês Coelho da Silva centres this exhibition on the relationships she builds with her community of artists and companions. Transcending Western art's attachment to individual authorship, ‘Ecologia Quo diana’ explores intuition, ‘gossip,’ fieldwork, communal craft smanship, and collective imagination as modalities that foster companionship, a fundamental element of her artistic practice.
Each piece presented serves a dual purpose: on the one hand, it constitutes material evidence of ongoing relationships rooted in in mate and creative solidarity; on the other, it functions as a tool or action that articulates collective knowledge embodied in a lineage of female craftsmanship and interspecies care. The exhibition understands that the plants collected are in mately linked to the hands that weave them, that the ingredients are
inseparable from the imagination that brings them together, that every voice is always a choir, and that every artistic practice needs an entire village to flourish.
In addition to the exhibition, a public programme of parallel activities is scheduled, including botanical walks, workshops and collective meals, activating the exhibition as a living space for meeting and sharing.
With free entrance, this exhibition will be open until 23 May, 2026.
PROGRAMME
27 March
6 pm–8 pm: Edible installation in collaboration with Inés Ballesteros and Alicia Monreal Ortega (during the exhibition opening, there will be a reception/installation organised by the artists in the exhibition space)
28 March
10 am–12.30 pm: Botanical walk with Fernanda Botelho
3 pm–5.30 pm: Plant embroidery workshop with Inês Coelho da Silva (more information about these activities: alfaia.org@gmail.com / producao.alfaia@gmail.com)
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Inês Coelho da Silva (b. 1996) is a Portuguese artist and researcher based between Santa Maria da Feira (PT) and Milan (IT). Her work develops at the intersection between ecology, food politics, and tacit knowledge through edible installations, collective practices, and gestures of care. She holds a Master's degree in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art (UK) and a Bachelor's degree in Sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto (PT).
Her most recent exhibitions include ‘Walk&Talk - Bienal de Artes 2025’ (winner of the Open Call with the project ‘Gossip and the Commons, São Miguel, PT), ’Boca Aberta‘ (Paralaxe, Porto, PT), ’(Gentler) Futures Fes val‘ (Lisbon,PT), ’Hyperthyme" (The Gramounce, Madrid, ES), ‘SEEDS’ (FBAUL, Lisbon, PT), ‘A Salt Anthology’ (Rua das Gaivotas 6, Lisbon, PT) ‘Tropeçar não é cair’ (CAPC, Coimbra, PT) and ‘Together it Seams’ (Standpoint Gallery, London, UK).
She highlights artistic residencies at organisations such as Mediamatic (NL), Brave New Alps (IT), Institute for Postnatural Studies (ES), Oficinas do Convento (PT), Rural Contemporánea (ES), among others. She is a tutor and project director at The Gramounce, an organisatin that develops the Food and Art Alternative MA, through which she developed the artistic residencies Landscape Cooking at Domaine de Boisbuchet (FR) and Alchemical Kitchen in collabora on with Terzo Paesaggio (IT). She was a guest lecturer at the Royal College of Art in 2024. Her work has been featured in several publications such as U+ZINE 4, Food issue (Plurality University Network, FR) and Portuguese Emerging Art 2020 Green Edi on (Emerge AC, PT).
Curator: Kevin Bellò
Venue: Alfaia Cultural Association
Opening: 27 March, 2026 at 6pm
Open until 23 May 2026: Thursdays and Fridays (2.30pm-6pm) and Saturdays (10am-1.30pm/2.30pm-6pm)
