Art galleries by “Inaugurações Simultâneas de Miguel Bombarda”
Miguel Bombarda is one of the city’s vital arteries, thanks to its art galleries and alternative commercial projects. In 2007, these spaces decided to unite in partnership with the Oporto City Council to host bimonthly “Simultaneous Art Openings”. Ana Alves da Silva deals with the communication of these events and is responsible for turning this once forgotten street into a lively thoroughfare.
Galeria Fernando Santos – Rua de Miguel Bombarda 526
This prestigious gallery has maintained the same concept since 1993: promoting new Portuguese artists; promoting international art; building bridges between institutions and private collectors; and organizing exhibitions that inspire great Portuguese artists.
Galeria Quadrado Azul – Rua de Miguel Bombarda 553
Initially, Quadrado Azul was on Costa Cabral street, until Manuel Ulysses noticed that the growing movement of art galleries in Miguel Bombarda and decided to join it. It has been on “Art Gallery street” since 1997.
Galeria Serpente – Rua de Miguel Bombarda 558
In 1998, the visual artists Isabel and Rodrigo Cabra established this space which, besides operating as a traditional art gallery, has a very clear objective: to establish a place within Oporto’s contemporary art scene that is open to the confrontation of ideals and to new forms of creation.
Galeria Espacio Jhannia Castro – Rua de Adolfo Casais Monteiro 16
This gallery is dedicated to contemporary photography and artist’s books. Opened this year, it is proof that the revitalization of this neighborhood still mobilizes the city’s artistic community.
Urban art by “Não-lugares no porto”
Vitor Tavares developed the concept of a “non-place” in his master’s thesis at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Oporto. In 2008, he was still pondering about this idea of non-places: how there can be places scattered around cities without any identity or historical reference. That’s both when and why he created a community that presents a creative and collaborative approach to public spaces.
Trindade Metro Station – Rua de Camões
In Trindade Metro station’s car park you’ll find what is possibly the city’s most iconic piece of urban art. Across a 250-meter wall, Oporto’s MrDheo drew his father, who holds a can of paint on one hand and the Clérigos Tower, a symbol of Oporto, on the other.
Miradouro de Vitória – Rua de São Bento da Vitória 11
In this viewpoint is an abandoned building that can be considered a “non-place,” covered in urban art made by unknown artists. If you go see it, the nearby Portuguese Center of Photography is also worth a visit.
Rua da Madeira
Composed of three thousand tiles, this work by Miguel Januário asks a question: “Who are you, Oporto?” The Locomotiva project, which seeks to boost the neighborhood around São Bento Station, is behind this piece.
Ponte Luís I
Frederico Draw’s murals of human figures inspired by locals are a constant presence in Oporto’s streets. “AN.FI.TRI.ÃO” is a character drawn from the artist’s grandfather, who invites the curious to explore the city.
Miragaia
Thanks to an invitation by the project “Look at Oporto,” the prominent Vhils worked for three days on this piece facing the Alfândega, the old customshouse. Like so many other works by Vhils, the artist seeks to humanize the city through the eyes and faces of human figures carved on the wall.
Secret Spots to Photograph by “Porto, a cidade que nos une!”
The only thing in common between Fernando Vilarinho, a librarian at the University of Oporto, who was born in Luanda, and Jorge Torres, a civil engineer from Ermesinde, is their shared interest for the city of Oporto. They have been running this community where members share Oporto-related content and photos since 2010.
Casa Tait – Rua de Entre-Quintas 219
Oporto is a city that has been photographed by tourists to the point of exhaustion. However, there is an extremely photogenic Romantic route that is often overlooked. The first stop is at Casa Tait and its surrounding gardens, a reminder of the historical British presence in Oporto.
Museu Romântico do Porto – Rua de Entre-Quintas 220
Inside Quinta da Macieirinha is a reconstructed bourgeois house from the Romantic period, with furniture and decorative objects of the time. The Italian monarch Charles Albert of Sardinia lived here during his exile.
Jardim Botânico do Porto – Rua do Campo Alegre 1191
Another green area that photographers do not usually visit is the former Quinta do Campo Alegre, where the poet Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen lived. The gardens are heavily influenced by Romanticism.
Jardins do Palácio de Cristal – Rua de Dom Manuel II
It isn’t exactly a secret, but a Romantic tour would always be incomplete without a visit to the Crystal Palace’s gardens. Get ready to vie for the best spot to shoot this panoramic landscape.
