he point of departure for the show were the books Aforismos [Aphorisms] (1988), Contemplação Carinhosa da Angústia [A Tender Contemplation of Angst] (2000), Dicionário Imperfeito [Imperfect Dictionary] (a collection of excerpts in alphabetical order published in 2008) and Ensaios e Artigos [Essays and Articles] (1951–2007) (2017), which cover a wide range of subjects, themes and personalities. While reading these volumes – veritable revelations of Agustina’s world both in terms of form and content – some key authorial notions were identified. Those themes are the entries in this ‘dictionary-exhibition’, each of them generating a dialogue with works in the Serralves Collection by Portuguese and international artists, some of whom were her contemporaries. 

It includes a preface by Philippe Vergne, director of the Serralves Museum, and a text by the curators, António Preto and Ricardo Nicolau.