Alice Marcelino is a Portuguese-Angolan artist based in London, whose visual work explores the themes of how to belong to a constantly changing global world. She works between London, Lisbon and Luanda. Her artistic residency in Torrão combines the need to understand the past with the aspirations of future generations. Marcelino aims to discover forgotten stories and narratives that are linked to the historical and cultural nuances of the Afro-Portuguese community in the Sado region.

The residence is part of the C—T Open File NEGRALVO and will include the creation of studio portraits – see Malick Sidibe, Sanlé Sory, Rachidi Bissiriou. The act of creating studio portraits becomes a collaborative and dialogical process, an opportunity for individuals to actively participate in representing their own narratives. This empowers the community to own their visual stories, ensuring their experiences are not only seen, but also understood and celebrated.

The book “Pretos do Sado” [Sado Negroes] by Isabel Castro Henriques works out as a catalyst for this exploration of the collective memory and heritage, as a road map for the navigation across the complexities of identity and cultural preservation. The artist makes a commitment: to promote understanding, empathy, and a renewed appreciation for the diverse narratives that contribute to the cultural mosaic of the Afro-Portuguese community.

In the image, KINDUMBA (detail), 2015, print on copper plate, 30×20 cm.