The exhibition “Deconstructing Colonialism, Decolonizing the Imagination”, at the National Museum of Ethnology in Lisbon, under the direction of the teacher Isabel Castro Henriques, presented us with an exciting challenge: to create the project and graphic design for an exhibition that innovatively addresses the complex themes of Portuguese colonialism.
The goal was to integrate informative panels authored by leading researchers and display cases with African art pieces, that reinforce and illustrate the contents on display.
The proposed solution consisted of creating large suspended panels, arranged in a circular layout radiating from the center of the room, where a piece of contemporary african art is located.
The main challenge was to occupy the large exhibition hall, balancing the abundance of information with an attractive presentation and a clear and intuitive understanding of the information for visitors.
These panels, organized into thematic sections identified by different colors, guide visitors through an intuitive and immersive circuit. Each section combines informative panels, with texts and images, and display cases with objects that visually reinforce the narrative.
From a graphic standpoint, we opted for a two-tone aesthetic — black and a secondary color exclusive to each thematic section — ensuring a cohesive and sober visual image. We decided to make most of the images black and white, selecting a single featured image, in the color of the section, to emphasize the theme.
The typography, geometric and highly legible, facilitates the clear transmission of information in Portuguese and English. The result is a visually striking and pedagogically effective exhibition that promotes critical awareness and was well received by the public, validating the conceptual and technical choices.
Additionally, we developed the exhibition catalogue, now in its second edition, as well as various promotional materials.
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