XXIV Cerveira International Art Biennial 2026

XXIV Cerveira International Art Biennial – “Borderless Territories” (18 July – 30 December 2026)The Cerveira International Art Biennial, the oldest artistic biennial in Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula, celebrates its twenty-fourth edition in 2026 under the theme “Borderless Territories.” Organized by the Cerveira Biennial Art Foundation (FBAC), this major event will once again transform Vila Nova de Cerveira into a vibrant platform for reflection, experimentation, and dialogue between artists, communities, and audiences from around the world.Since its creation in 1978, the Biennial has remained faithful to its founding principles: interaction, dialogue, collective experimentation, and the sharing of artistic experiences. Over its twenty-three previous editions, it has become a benchmark for avant-garde creation, fostering the discovery and recognition of emerging artists through an international competition that awards for this future edition €50,000 in Acquisition Prizes, supported by the Vila Nova de Cerveira Town Council.The 2026 edition invites reflection on the concept of the border — geographical, social, political, mental, and artistic — as a fluid and contested space. “Borderless Territories” explores how boundaries shape identities, memories, and narratives, while also questioning how these limits may dissolve in a world increasingly defined by technological interconnection and artificial intelligence. It asks, provocatively, what our maps will look like when borders fade away.The XXIV BIAC will present a rich and diverse programme. The International Competition will be open to artists and collectives from across the globe, inviting submissions of original works produced in the last two years. These will include not only paintings, sculptures, videos, and installations, but also artistic interventions such as performances, workshops, and participatory or ephemeral projects. Alongside the competition, the Biennial will pay tribute to Silvestre Pestana, one of the leading figures in Portuguese contemporary art, through a major retrospective exhibition celebrating his pioneering contributions to digital art, performance, and visual poetry.The event will also feature exhibitions by guest artists, curatorial projects, and artist residencies that bring together creators from diverse cultural and geographic contexts. The “Vai-Vem” programme will promote artistic exchange between Vila Nova de Cerveira, Macau, and Luanda, as well as among the fifteen parishes of the municipality. Complementing these initiatives, an International Conference Series will foster critical and academic discussion about the role of art in crossing and redefining borders.As in every edition, the Biennial’s educational and outreach programmeswill play a key role. Through guided tours, capacity-building workshops for children and adults, and site-specific installations, the Biennial will encourage experimentation, participation, and dialogue between artists and the public. This multidimensional approach reinforces the Biennial’s identity as an interdisciplinary meeting place and a model for community engagement, integrating artistic creation into the social and urban fabric of Vila Nova de Cerveira.