البرامج الرئيسية
الشبكة الوطنية
Portugal
Address
Largo da Estação, Nº40, Salas 5 e 6Telephone
+351 253252121Website
Click HereOrganisation Type
Public/Private Non-Profit FoundationYear of Establishment
1987مجالات النشاط
Arts, International/Cultural relations, Media, Research, Youth and educationGeneral Information
Encontros da Imagem, founded over 30 years ago, is a non-profit cultural association that organizes Encontros da Imagem — International Photography and Visual Arts Festival in the city of Braga, Portugal. The festival promotes classic and contemporary photography by showcasing work by established and emerging authors. Created in 1987, Encontros da Imagem has been an essential platform for the dissemination and creation of photography over the last thirty years. The first editions focused on presenting classic authors who are essential for understanding the history of photography and, at the same time, contemporary authors who presented the most recent lines of representation. At the time, the national photographic scene was quite restricted in Portugal, with a small number of authors and exhibitions. On the other hand, teaching and reflection on the photographic medium were equally scarce. The festival’s founders sought to fill these gaps by presenting both classic and contemporary authors in Braga. Gradually, the association broadened its objectives, which today can be summarized in three main lines: creation, dissemination and training.
In order to reinforce and create conditions for the dissemination of young authors, a critical reading of portfolios has been held since 2009, which is an important platform for promoting new work and an opportunity for photographers and critics to compare ideas. The Encontros da Imagem Festival has been an important platform for promoting Portuguese photography abroad, both through exhibitions and screenings. Throughout the past editions, it has also been an important means of publicizing new photographic productions, giving visibility to national authors who have benefited from the public that the festival attracts due to its size. The Encontros da Imagem Festival aims to confront and reflect on photography’s current thematic proposals: from documentary content, essential for recording and understanding the present time, to those that creatively explore and incorporate new image technologies. Aware of the importance of reaching a wider audience, there are also activities for the general public, exhibitions and photography screenings. For a more specific audience, focused on the arts and especially photography, there are activities that are both informative and educational: competitions, exhibitions, workshops and conferences.
Encontros da Imagem is the largest photography festival in the country and is continuously expanding its partnerships with other major European photography festivals. The identity of Encontros da Imagem is centered on inviting national and foreign authors to participate, whether it is through a public call for portfolio submissions evaluated by an international jury, thus seeking, on the one hand, to promote and raise awareness of new emerging authors who have found in Encontros a moment of excellence for the dissemination of their work, and on the other hand, to contribute to the knowledge and improvement of the quality of new learning, sometimes exceeding the expectations of the national artistic/cultural panorama.
Mission and Objectives
The mission of Encontros da Imagem — Cultural Association is to promote photography and the visual arts as forms of contemporary creation, expression and reflection, thereby contributing to the development of critical thinking, visual literacy and access to culture. The association also seeks to preserve and promote the documentary heritage associated with photography and the visual arts through the development of a specialised archive, photographic collection and library.
To fulfil its mission, Encontros da Imagem bases its activities on the pillars of creation, dissemination and education. Among its main objectives are supporting the development of research, teaching and critical reflection on photography and the visual arts, as well as promoting the presentation, dissemination and circulation of national and international artistic projects by both emerging and established artists. The association also seeks to encourage dialogue between artists, audiences and communities through exhibitions, residencies, screenings, workshops, talks and other cultural mediation activities, fostering visual literacy, critical thinking and audience engagement with contemporary artistic practices. At the same time, Encontros da Imagem aims to democratise access to culture through an inclusive programme with free admission, whilst preserving, developing and making available bibliographic and documentary collections specialising in photography and the visual arts. The association is also dedicated to producing editorial content and critical documentation associated with its projects, promoting collaborative networks between artists, institutions and communities, and strengthening the relationship between artistic creation, the local area and society.
Main Projects / Activities
Through Encontros da Imagem — International Festival of Photography and Visual Arts and the Galeria da Estação — Encontros da Imagem, the association organises a diverse range of activities dedicated to contemporary photography and the visual arts, including solo and group exhibitions, artist residencies, performances, installations, screenings and film series, talks, round-table and EI Talks, workshops and other cultural mediation activities, book and publication launches, as well as the Linhas de Perspectiva podcast. It also runs regular outreach and research initiatives, such as the Book of the Week programme, the Carlos Fontes Library and the ongoing work of building, developing, inventorying and cataloguing a library archive and photographic collection specialising in photography and image.
The association also promotes international Open Calls, the Encontros da Imagem Award, the Encontros da Imagem Photobook Award, the Emergentes – Portfolio Reviews initiative and the Horizontes educational programme, aimed at artistic creation, training, curatorial experimentation and support for emerging artists. In parallel, it organises guided tours for schools and universities, runs the Fora da Caixa competition and curatorial project, stages pop-up exhibitions at cultural events such as Braga’s White Night, promotes community initiatives such as the Christmas Market, and oversees the production and publication of exhibition catalogues.
The association’s programme is run on a decentralised basis, through activities and partnerships with cultural, educational and artistic institutions in Braga, Guimarães, Porto, Barcelos, Vila Verde and Avintes.
How can you contribute to the Network in your country?
Through the festival and gallery programme, Encontros da Imagem can contribute to networking, particularly in the areas of intercultural dialogue, civic participation, inclusion, artistic mobility, non-formal education and the promotion of critical thinking through culture.
In this context, the association contributes to the promotion of intercultural dialogue through photography and the visual arts, bringing together artists, curators and audiences from different geographical areas, cultures and social contexts. It also develops spaces for critical reflection on contemporary themes relevant to the Euro-Mediterranean region, such as identity, migration, memory, territory, gender, belonging, cultural diversity and social transformation.
Its activities include the development of cultural mediation and non-formal education programmes aimed at young people, students and communities, promoting visual literacy, active participation and critical thinking. At the same time, it supports the mobility, visibility and capacity-building of emerging artists through international open calls, portfolio reviews, residencies, exhibitions and curatorial programmes. The association also fosters the creation of collaborative networks between cultural and educational institutions and local communities, contributing to international cooperation and artistic exchange. Through a free and decentralised programme, it promotes the democratisation of access to culture, bringing contemporary art to diverse audiences and areas outside major urban centres.
Finally, it values photography as a tool for social dialogue, documentation and collective memory, promoting inclusive and participatory practices that encourage encounters between artists, specialists, students and communities in contexts of sharing and co-creation, as well as the preservation and dissemination of documentary and bibliographic archives linked to the contemporary image.
Why do you want to join the ALF Network?
We wish to join the ALF Network because the work carried out by Encontros da Imagem — Cultural Association is closely aligned with its mission to promote intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding and social cohesion in the Euro-Mediterranean region through culture. Through photography and contemporary visual arts, we develop projects that bring together artists and audiences from different backgrounds, creating spaces for encounter and critical reflection on themes such as identity, migration, memory, territory and cultural diversity.
We are strongly committed to non-formal education, visual literacy and youth engagement, through cultural mediation programmes, educational activities, workshops, talks and portfolio reviews. At the same time, our open calls, residencies and international exhibitions promote artistic mobility and the visibility of emerging creators, reinforcing practices of active participation and critical thinking.
Joining the network would enable us to strengthen our international cooperation and expand partnerships within the Euro-Mediterranean region, contributing to the democratisation of access to culture through free and decentralised programming. We see photography as a tool for dialogue, documentation and the construction of collective memory, and we believe that this integration will strengthen our ability to bring artists, institutions and communities together in processes of cultural sharing and transformation.