The group exhibition Take Care, organized by PADA and curated by Kasia Sobczak, opened on August 5 at 3+1 Arte Contemporânea, Lisbon. It features the participation of Alex Wolkowicz, Alia Hamaoui, Bregje Sliepenbeek, Diana Cerezino, Emilie Peyre Smith, Inês Neto dos Santos, Lennart de Neef and Tim Ralston.

The artists invited to the exhibition present different perspectives on the concept of taking care, with a plastic variety that shows different creative processes under the same theme. How can Take Care vary between Alia Hamaoui, a British/Lebanese artist whose work reflects on cultural identity, and Diana Cerezino, a Portuguese artist who lives and works in Barreiro and is currently a director at PADA? What is the caring perspective of the two artists, who were born and raised in different environments? Where do these perspectives intersect? And where do they separate? What will be the role of each artist’s culture in the relationship with care? In an invitation to eight international artists to participate in Take Care, these themes are explored individually, collectively, or culturally.

Take Care has different artistic discourses on a concept that acquired a new relevance in the post-pandemic era. The urgency to care is parallel to the urgency to be cared for, but for concept and action to converge a conscious will is required. The animal that physically hurts when it thinks it is caring; the man that cares through detachment; the plant that cares through existence. Different actors of caring and different methods might be considered, but this exhibition makes us think about our individual definition. And the artists present us with theirs. Plastic translations of an instinct or will in positions of dialogue.

PADA has been developing an exhibition and artist residency programme that takes us to Barreiro – a collective movement of artists and cultural professionals in a growing city in the district of Setúbal. The artists’ involvement in the community, as well as their engagement in certain works, has enhanced the city’s art scene. The organization has also shown a willingness to collaborate with different venues to complement artistic experiences through communication between artists, spaces, and cultural projects.

In partnership with 3+1 Arte Contemporânea, PADA presents Take Care in the gallery until September 11.