(in exhibition)

ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA

Once Upon a Time in America proposes a reading exercise on the impact of U.S. mythology and culture on postwar contemporary creation. Drawing on works from the Julião Sarmento Collection, the exhibition reflects on a singular imaginary shaped by cinema, urban space, minimalism, and realism.

At the centre of the exhibition is Arena 3003 (1997 – ongoing) conceived by Rita McBride. Arena is reimagined within a copyleft framework by students and professors from the Department of Architecture of the Universidade Autónoma (Construction Seminar). Built using reused materials, this collaborative process emphasizes the principles of participation, shared authorship, and democratization embedded in the original project.

The exhibition brings together works by, among others artists, Bruce Nauman, Christopher Williams, Cristina Iglesias, Dan Graham, Ed Ruscha, Glen Rubsamen, James Casebere, James Turrell, João Louro, João Paulo Feliciano, John Baldessari, Jorge Molder, Juan Muñoz, Lawrence Weiner, Louise Lawler, Matt Mullican, Nan Goldin, Richard Artschwager, Richard Nonas, Richard Serra, Rita McBride, Robert Gober, and Robert Morris.

Curated by: Isabel Carlos and Rita McBride

Exhibition Dates

Gallery 0, 04/07/2026 – 30/05/2027

Jorge Molder / Series New York, 1993

FARIBA HAJAMADI

Crows in Conversation

Crows in Conversation is the first solo exhibition in Portugal by the artist Fariba Hajamadi (b. 1957, Iran), who has lived and worked in the United States since the 1980s. The exhibition project takes as its starting point the work Inverted Order: one of three sets of 5 elements (1989–1994/ 2026), part of the Julião Sarmento Collection and acquired by the artist in 1995.

Hajamadi’s practice develops at the intersection of photography and installation, questioning dominant historical narratives. Drawing on photographic records of monuments and artefacts within institutional contexts, the artist employs processes of deconstruction and digital manipulation to reveal dynamics of violence, appropriation, and the alienation of identities. The result is a series of scenic, theatrical, and unreal interior spaces that, through symmetry and patterned repetition, merge memory, history, and fiction.

Curated by: Isabel Carlos

Exhibition dates

Gallery 2, 04/07 – 18/10/2026

(public program)

Explore the Public Program of the Pavilhão Julião Sarmento to discover upcoming events. The program includes talk series, lectures, guided tours, family programs and other initiatives related to the exhibitions and the Julião Sarmento Collection.

See full program

(about)

PAVILHÃO JULIÃO SARMENTO

The Pavilhão Julião Sarmento is a new museum in the city of Lisbon, with a compact, intimate scale and a distinctive, internationally-oriented programmatic approach.

The building is the result of the renovation and conversion of a former food warehouse into a contemporary art center, designed by architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça, with visual identity by Pedro Falcão. It houses the collection of artist Julião Sarmento (Lisbon, 1948–2021), which serves as the foundation for a multidisciplinary program where visual arts intersect with cinema, performance, and other forms—guided by Sarmento’s own words: "A work of art must always ask questions rather than make assertions."¹

¹ Catalogue “Julião Sarmento”, MAMAC Nice, Silvana Editoriale, 2014, p. 67.

TEAM

Director: Isabel Carlos

Deputy Director and Executive Coordinator: Flávia Violante

Research and Mediation: Daniel Peres

Communication and Collection Management: Ana Rocha

Production: Cristina Correia

Preventive Conservation and Exhibition Set up: Romeu Gonçalves

Welcome Desk: Filipa Baptista, Laura Mota, Pedro Lopes

ADMISSION

Admission fee

5€

Reduced fee

2,5€ (50%)

13 - 25 years old (non-Lisbon residents)

3,5€ (30%)

Persons with specific needs; Cultural professionals

4€ (20%)

CML workers
*Exempt from VAT under art. 9

Free Admission

Children up to 12 years old; 13 - 25 years old / + 65 years old (inclusive) (residents in Lisbon); Sundays and public holidays until 2pm (residents in Lisbon); Registered tourism professionals (RNAAT), journalists, researchers and teachers in office; Members of APOM, ICOM, AICA; Unemployed (residents in Lisbon); Accompanying persons with specific needs

Guided tours

Educational establishments – 2€ per class

Private groups (more than 5 participants) – 3€ per person