ILHAS 2020.ISOLATION

The project “Islands” was created in 2016 as an attempt to transmit a complete picture of the development of modern art in the islands, and to acquaint the public with more global trends in visual arts. Since its onset, the annual Islands exhibition has attracted more than 50 individual artists, and creative teams are already presented in the project from Portugal, Cape Verde, Brasil, Israel, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Russia, and Austria.

The decision to organize this season of “Islands” arrived spontaneously, without waiting for an official announcement. We are creating a new “Islands” sooner and sharper. This year we wish to represent only those works that were submitted by artists who have been in self-isolation since March 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unplanned and sharp, rather like the pandemic broke into our lives, cancelling all measured and thought-out cultural plans and art programmes. The word Isolation also appeared spontaneously for this season´s imposed island Insulation. Yes, seemingly at first glance it’s a repetition of a theme. However, 2017 focussed on the geographic isolation of island communities. This year, the topic of isolation is more relevant than ever and today concerns, and has touched, the lives of almost everyone on our planet – the physical isolation of ´self.`