No Past is a project exploring the archives of Casa da Roda in Porto and the memories of those who passed through its doors.

Casa da Roda was an institution designed to take in children anonymously abandoned by their parents. It existed in Porto between the 17th and 19th centuries and had three different premises over time, of which no traces remain.

The children were usually abandoned with their layette and an object, of various kinds, that distinguished them from the others. This object was known as a “sign” and allowed for the child’s unambiguous identification in the future. The focus of this project is precisely the “signs” that marked the children of the Roda do Porto. The project also includes the Roda’s books, as well as the spaces of the Porto District Archive, which holds this immense collection of over 180 metres of documentation.

Sem Passado aims to portray the aesthetics of 19th-century neglect and to recover the memory of children doubly neglected, by

society and by history.

This exhibition is part of Encontros da Imagem 2024 and the (In)visibilidades e Derivas project.

Exhibition open from 14 September to 9 November

Wednesday to Saturday, 3pm to 7pm

MIRA FORUM

Directed by Manuela Matos Monteiro and João Lafuente

Communications: Manuela Matos Monteiro and Luísa Rosas da Silva

Gallery assistant: Luísa Rosas da Silva

Support: DGARTES

Felícia Pinho Oliveira (2000, Aveiro) is a photographer and holds a degree in Communication Sciences from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Porto. In 2023, she completed a Master’s degree in Audiovisual Communication, specialising in Photography and Documentary Film, at the School of Media Arts and Design (ESMAD). She took part in the group exhibition “Todo o Presente” (2023, P. Artes) and is the author of the book and exhibition “Sem Passado” (2023, Porto District Archive). She participated in the Plano Frontal photography residency, part of the Melgaço International Documentary Festival, 2024.

Her academic and artistic journey is primarily concerned with the possibility of, through the exploration of the past, ruins and archives, rethinking history and creating alternative narratives