Living not at home

 This is a celebration of the book I’m reading,  The bicycle with whiskers by Ondjaki .  It’s narrated by a boy who wants to win a bike. The state broadcaster is running a competition. Children can send in their stories and the best one will get a bicycle painted in the national colours: red, black and yellow.  The boy runs into problems right from the start. The day the competition is announced, and the bike is displayed on the television, there’s a power cut in his street. Next, the other children say the competition is fixed, the winner has already been decided, it’s not worth it. Then the boy admits to himself he’s got no knack for writing stories. There’s a writer living on the same street but when he’s asked to contribute a winning idea, he’s evasive.  What shines through is the portrayal of the children – the narrator, Quiet George (a restless boy whose mother is always saying ‘Quiet George!’), Isaura. They’re sharp, resilient, caring. They notice the be...

In March I met Inês Pina, the Education Coordinator (Arts) at Serralves. We spoke about festivals, drawing on the school desks, and how to connect multiple and diverse opinions on art. The conversation started in the education studio and then continued during a quick tour of the galleries. Inês showed me the new wing and the two artworks that she’d picked in answer to my final two questions.  Lawrence Bradby: In the UK I worked in gallery education. I’m interested in learning about the culture of gallery education here in Portugal. How does it operate? What are its priorities? What are its rewards? So my first question is about your experience of the job: what’s the most enjoyable project you’ve worked on at Serralves? Inês Pina: I started working at Serralves in February 2023. Within all the projects over the last year there were two that I particularly enjoyed. One was Serralves em Festa . It’s a huge celebration, a free 50-hour non-stop festival. There are many many people insid...