Located in the historic center of Lisbon since 2000, Perve Galeria presents exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, incorporating authors from various backgrounds and artistic languages, such as the visual arts, music, poetry, cinema, interactive multimedia, and performance. Its name, Perve, is a non-existent word that derives from a concept crafted by the gallery’s founders, symbolizing a profound shift in perspective towards life. Its ethos centers on the transformative power of art, turning negative experiences into positive outcomes and elevating them to a higher plane of existence. For nearly 25 years, this guiding principle has driven a mission centered on unjustly under-represented artists, such as Reinata Sadimba, Ernesto Shikhani, Malangatana Ngwenya or Manuel Figueira, among others, who were overlooked both nationally in Portugal and on the global stage. Through the gallery’s dedicated efforts over the years, these artists are now represented in prestigious international collections, including renowned institutions like Tate Modern, Pompidou Center, and Serralves Foundation.
Throughout the years the gallery has been participating in several important art fairs such as Frieze Masters, 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London and New York, AKAA - Also Known as Africa, Art Dubai, Abu Dhabi Art, India Art Fair, Art Madrid, ARCO Lisboa, London Art Fair, Contemporary Istambul and FIG Bilbao, where it was awarded the prize for best exhibitor in 2022.
Since the late 1990s, Perve Galeria has been building the vast collection devoted to modern and contemporary art from the Portuguese-speaking countries named “Lusofonias / Lusophonies”. The collection aims to produce interactions and merge the gap between Africa, Middle East, South America and Asia, and was already presented in various countries, such as India, Portugal, Senegal, Turkey and Denmark.
In 2013 the gallery launched a museological space in Lisbon, named Freedom’s House – Mário Cesariny, that pays homage to this fundamental Portuguese poet and surrealist painter. It hosts an artistic legacy bequeathed by Cesariny and a collection devoted to Portuguese Surrealism and Experimental Art.
In fact, the Portuguese surrealist movement serves as a central conceptual cornerstone for the gallery. Inspired by its international counterpart, this movement tailored its principles to Portugal's unique socio-political landscape during an era characterized by dictatorship and colonial rule in Africa. Spearheaded by Mário Cesariny, the “Os Surrealistas” group epitomized a fervent aspiration for social revolution that reverberated across Portuguese-speaking territories and among its artists. This movement profoundly influences the gallery's mission, striving to wield transformative power both socially and artistically. It champions artists who have been unjustly overlooked by both art history and the market, thereby fostering a platform for their recognition and appreciation.
In 2009, as part of the cycle celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first exhibition of "Os Surrealistas", it held the exhibition "Surrealism - Connections and Miscegenation" at the Ceutarte Gallery, located in Alcântara, Lisbon. Subsequently, it took over the management of this space, initially called Perve Alcântara, and renamed aPGn2 - a PiGeon too in 2019, when the gallery took on a new curatorial programme.
Defending the accessibility of artistic and cultural projects and the understanding of art as an essential good, Perve Galeria founded, in 2022, the open-air contemporary art space 27ARTe, accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in Alfama, Lisbon.
