What differentiates the prison art project “As Portas que a Poesia Abriu” in relation to other artistic initiatives involving inmates is the “professionalism” with which it was developed. It was the Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, who said this to DN when presenting the project this Friday, November 28th, at the Prison Establishment (EP) in Tires.
The professionalism that the governor refers to has to do with the patronage of the dst group, of which José Teixeira is president, and the involvement of his gallery, ZET, which was responsible for choosing the artists who worked with the inmates at the Leiria Prison Establishment and at Casa das Mães, in Tires.
It was the general director of ZET, Helena Mendes Pereira, who invited the artist Ilídio Candja Candja working with around 15 young inmates from Leiria and Fernanda Fragateiro developing a project with women mothers in Tires prison.
Ilídio Candja Candja created a set of drawings with the young people that were later developed and used in a mural.
Regarding the intervention at Casa das Mães, “I never had any doubts that it would be Fernanda Fragateiro, to resolve this space well, which is difficult, it is a complex and tangled space. She works a lot with words and colors, in addition to having the right human characteristics”highlights Helena Mendes Pereira.