An exhibition curated by Nuno Coelho featuring commissioned artworks by Barbara Neves Alves & António Ramalho, Dori Nigro & Paulo Pinto, Francisca Calisto, Ivo Tavares, João Ana, and Paulo Moreira & Thaís Freire de Andrade.

Joaquim Ferreira dos Santos (Porto, 1782) rose from humble origins to amass extraordinary wealth through the transatlantic trade of enslaved people to Brazil. Returning to Portugal in 1832, he invested in businesses and funded liberalism, which granted him the title of Count of Ferreira. After his death in 1866, his will allocated funds for social projects, including the construction of the first hospital for mental health in Portugal (Count of Ferreira Hospital) and the first primary school network in the country (120 Count of Ferreira Schools). However, the origin of his fortune is generally unknown to the society from which it still benefits. By referring to this historical figure by his first name, symbolically dethroning him from his pedestal and stripping him of his title, this exhibition aims to question and problematise this man, his legacy, and what they both represent today, by calling on professionals from the visual and performing arts, architecture, and design. Complemented by a parallel programme, the exhibition attempts to create space for an urgent and necessary collective reflection about the past and present of Portuguese society.