The Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations defended in Brussels the importance of disseminating and projecting the Azores in the heart of Europe through their culture.
Rui Bettencourt spoke at the end of a visit to the photography exhibition titled as "Lands in the Middle of the Sea." This initiative promoted by the Regional Government under the 16th European Week of Regions and Municipalities and the celebrations of the European Year of Cultural Heritage. On the occasion, he pointed out the components of the cultural tangible heritage or the natural and human heritage of the nine islands of the archipelago that make up the diversity of this exhibition composed of two dozen photographs.
"The Azores are no longer the unknown islands, as Raul Brandão considered them," said the Secretary for External Relations. Nevertheless, "it is still important to disseminate, acknowledge and promote" what is "the westernmost cultural frontier of Europe," the government official noted, alluding to the words of Machado Pires.
In this context, Rui Bettencourt highlighted the fact that the Azores have promoted the dissemination of the Region aboard through photography. On the one hand, it "recognises and contributes to the dissemination of Azorean photographers or residents in the Azores, some of whom have already been distinguished with national and international prizes. On the other, "it disseminates their work and the reality of the nine islands of the archipelago."
The exhibition, curated by the professor, painter and writer Tomaz Borba Vieira, features the participation of 10 photographers -António Araújo, Carlos Mendes, Eduardo Costa, Fernando Resendes, Luis Godinho, Nuno Sá, Pedro Silva, Pepe Brix, Rui Vieira and Sérgio Ávila - who will showcase photography records of each island of the archipelago. The photographs depict the components of cultural heritage and the Sea.
The "Lands in the middle of the Sea" exhibition may be visited until October 14 at the Centre des Beaux-Arts - BOZAR from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 AM to 6 Pm, and Thursday between 10 AM and 9 PM.