In the most depressed area of Porto, Campanhã, two galleries were born in 2013, occupying three of the eleven warehouses formerly used by CP, on Rua de Miraflor. Photographers Manuela Matos Monteiro and João Lafuente have dedicated these spaces to the MIRA FORUM and Espaço MIRA galleries.

MIRA FORUM is an interdisciplinary venue that has taken on the body of a cultural center in Campanhã. Exhibitions, presentations and book launches, conferences, debates and gatherings, photographic tours, concerts, plays and dance performances are some of the activities that animate MIRA.

Espaço MIRA is a gallery dedicated to contemporary art and its artistic director is José Maia. Exhibitions, performances, shows of artists’ books and more mark the gallery’s activities.

MIRA | performing arts emerged in 2017 from the refurbishment of a long-abandoned store at 68 Rua Padre António Vieira. It is a corkbox where contemporary dance performances and interventions take place.

The different spaces have been open to events by structures that promote support actions and activism.

MIRA and the Community

Dialogue and work with the community has been a constant since they set up in Campanhã. Slowly, solid links have been forged with local neighbors and organizations. Of particular note is the Emotional Map of Miraflor project: over the course of three years, MIRA recorded testimonies from residents telling the story of the place, which became a virtual platform (https://miramapaemocional. net/) and a book. We also developed a partnership with another neighboring institution – Albergues do Porto. We organized photography workshops, guided tours of the exhibitions and shared a community garden with the residents and neighbors.

MIRA and the World

Every year, we hold four international photography open calls, which are translated into exhibitions. For MIRA, the devices used are not a criterion of value: between zero pinhole photography technology and 100% mobile photography technology, the band of records is wide and the author’s work counts. The MIRA Mobile Prize is an international competition for mobile photography (captured and edited with mobile devices). Now with 19 editions, the competition has two international calls: one dedicated to street photography and the other based on categories. At the same time, we value one of the earliest expressions of photography – the pinhole – through the MIRA Pinhole Photography competition, with an international call for entries that has now been held for 11 editions. Artificial Intelligence has been the subject of an open call and exhibition since 2024.

We have developed national partnerships with various structures: with the Lamego Museum, we organize the third “Lamego and Varosa Valley Photography Biennial”, we do itinerant exhibitions with the Georges Dussaud Photography Centre in Bragança, we actively collaborate with the MDOC in Melgaço, with the Ao Norte association in Viana do Castelo.

MIRA ON

We’ve been on social media – Facebook, Instagram and Threads – since its inception, posting regularly to publicize the galleries’ programming. The lockdowns led us to structure our online intervention by maintaining programs dedicated to photography, with talks about photographic projects and online exhibitions. We developed a monthly program for our community of readers. Sending out a weekly newsletter with the program ensures regular communication with our audience. On YouTube, we have three channels recording exhibition openings, documentary videos, book launches, concerts, performances, poetry sessions and other events. Documentation is an important asset for MIRA, as is sharing it online..

The MIRA GALERIAS are part of the RPAC Rede Portuguesa de Arte Contemporânea. They have been awarded the gold medal for cultural merit (CMP).

MIRA is a private project, with no regular support or grants. It applies for grants … Sometimes it gets support, most of the time it doesn’t.

NUMBERS

The numbers don’t say much, but they do say something:

285 exhibitions | 80 concerts | 195 talks / gatherings | 148 book launches / presentations | 155 performances | 84 online talks | 59 online exhibitions | 15 talks about women | 49 photo walks | 27 films and talks about cinema | 33 poetry sessions | 44 workshops | 34 miscellaneous sessions