EDP Foundation brings to the Electricity Museum a large exhibition dedicated to laughter. Organised together with Produções Fictícias, Laughter: A Serious Exhibition includes painting, drawing, installations, video, photography, sculpture and performances, cinema, cartoons, TV programmes, shows, literature, as well as works by both Portuguese and international artists from some of the most important museums and private collections.
Commissioned by José Manuel dos Santos, João Pinharanda, Nuno Artur Silva and Nuno Crespo, this project stems from thorough research about comic and humorous devices which were and are used by different characters, at different periods and in different fields.
“Because there’s nothing more serious than laughter, hosting an exhibition on this subject is, in our time, to think critically about life, the world, society”, says José Manuel dos Santos, EDP Foundation’s cultural director. From art to history, from literature to cinema, from philosophy to theology, from politics to sociology, from psychology to medicine, this exhibition also includes some original artworks especially commissioned by EDP Foundation for this exhibition.
Laughter: A Serious Exhibition is made up of nearly 500 artworks by over 300 artists, and it takes up the entire exhibition floor at the Electricity Museum. After hosting large biographical exhibitions (Callas, Amália), themed (People, Out There) and modern and contemporary art (Manuel Baptista, Vick Muniz, Julião Sarmento, Joana Vasconcelos, Edgar Martins, Vieira da Silva, Vitor Pomar, EDP New Artists Award), all presented at the Electricity Museum, in Belém, EDP Foundation now opens the Autumn season with this exhibition which will be held from 20 October 2012 to 17 March 2013.
