Dêtxate: an exhibition to reflect on the cultural, social and political implications of rest, at vaga, in Ponta Delgada

vaga - espaço de arte e conhecimento, in Ponta Delgada, the headquarters of Anda&Fala - Associação Cultural, is opening this Friday, June 14, from 9pm to midnight, Dêtxate - On the necessity of rest, a group exhibition featuring Albin Werle, Alquimias da Lua, April Lin 林森, Beatriz Brum, Carlos Carreiro, Gil Ferrão, Lendl Barcelos, Sandra Rocha, Thomas Smith & Jon Watts and Tomaz Borba Vieira, which is an invitation to pause.


In Micaelense slang, the expression “dêtxate” means rest and pause, either due to physical tiredness or mental exhaustion, or due to laziness and a desire for leisure and regeneration. It is a variation of “deita-te” (lie down) and suggests a gesture that seeks liberation, healing and dreaming.

Dêtxate - On the necessity for rest is a group exhibition that examines the cultural, social and political implications of rest, arguing that the conscious choice to rest is a way of resisting extractive systems that can lead to a lack of self-care and the exhaustion of the ecosystems of which we are a part. It has four new commissions by Alquimias da Lua, Beatriz Brum, Gil Ferrão and Lendl Barcelos, includes works by Albin Werle, April Lin 林森, Carlos Carreiro, Sandra Rocha, Thomas Smith & Jon Watts and Tomaz Borba Vieira, and is curated collectively by the vacant team (Carolina Rainho, Jesse James, João Amado, Mariana Lopes, Rita Serra e Silva, Rubén Monfort, Tânia Moniz) for the first time since the space opened in 2020.

The opening of the exhibition takes place this Friday, June 14, from 9 p.m. to midnight, accompanied by a Celtic Harp concert at 9:45 p.m. by Joana Ribeiro. Admission is free.

Contributing to vaga's june-september season, the exhibition Dêtxate - On the necessity of rest expands to the public with a program that proposes yoga classes (June 15, 10am-12pm), reading sessions - 'Salão Mercúrio' (June 19, 9pm-11pm) and a sleep workshop with a sleepover at vaga (July 19/20, 9.30pm-10pm), as a way to promoto rest, leisure and encounter.

During this period, the space will also host a series of artistic residencies: RISD - Rhode Island School of Design, with BioKairos Materia; the 10th edition of RARA - Residência de Artesanato da Região dos Açores (a project by the association), with curator Miguel Flor, artists Alina Rotzinger and MUT Design, and local artisans Alcídio Andrade, Horácio Raposo and MUSA AZORES; and Cérebro / Cobertos pelo Céu, a project by Gustavo Ciríaco with FAHR 021. 3 - Filipa Frois, Hugo Reis and António Frederico Lasalvia. Between June 28 and July 6, the association is also co-organizing AZORES PRIDE 2024 on the island of São Miguel, a festival and activist movement that aims to celebrate and fight for the rights of the Azorean LGBTIA+ community.


Anda&Fala is a non-profit cultural association based on the island of São Miguel and supported by the Government of the Azores, the Portuguese Republic/DgArtes and Câmara Municipal de Ponta Delgada.