On 19 September 2026, the Dynamic Memory Lab exhibition »Cycles of Decolonisation« at the Biblioteca de Alcântara – José Dias Coelho in Lisbon concluded with a special closing event featuring the interdisciplinary solo performance Ọ̀KÀNRÀN – A Origem by Jorge Ciprianno.
The exhibition »Cycles of Decolonisation« reflected on how the legacies of European colonialism and the challenges of mental decolonisation continue to shape relationships among peoples and cultures in Europe. It opened on 24 April 2026 as part of the international CPPD Festival After the Carnations – »Cycles of Decolonisation« and Democratic Futures. Since then, the exhibition has been on view at the Biblioteca de Alcântara – José Dias Coelho.
As part of the finissage, Ọ̀KÀNRÀN – A Origem approaches the crossroads as a living space in which ancestry, displacement and Black queer existence continually reshape one another. Grounded in the transformative force of Èṣù, the work understands origin not as a fixed point, but as a continuous movement of rupture and return. Through dance, voice, text and performative presence, the racialised body becomes a living archive in which memory is not represented but enacted, opening up spiral temporalities where past, present and future coexist. Rather than revisiting history, Ọ̀KÀNRÀNasks how the body can become a site for imagining decolonial futures.
The event is taking place in cooperation with the Biblioteca de Alcântara – José Dias Coelho and was initiated by our Dynamic Memory Lab local curators, André Soares and Cátia Severino.
The Dynamic Memory Lab is the CPPD’s central innovative exhibition format. It understands memory culture as a living, evolving process and responds to the dynamics and specific needs of contemporary cultures of remembrance in the 21st century. »Cycles of Decolonisation« is one of three touring exhibitions. CPPD is currently developing its fourth Dynamic Memory Lab, »listening | re:member | re:act«, which will open on 29 November 2026 in Vienna in cooperation with Brunnenpassage.
Fotos: Joní Riccos
