Elephant in the Room

Lisbonners and Helsinkians reveal the power of art for self and social transformation.

In 2011 Portugal’s Ministry of Culture was dismantled for the second time. This event coincided with the national premiere of Atlas, a performance by Ana Borralho and João Galante which was inspired by artist Joseph Beuys’ philosophy, which asserts ‘we are the revolution’ and ‘everybody is an artist’.

Blending the personal, political, professional and artistic, this performance invited 100 Lisbonners with different professions to perform a choreography of resistance.  It launched Atlas to international stages where each country’s participants add their cultural nuances to this social sculpture.