The third edition of Porto’s photography biennial, entitled ‘Acts of Empathy’, focuses on assessing today’s social, ecological, and economic resources, and re-imagining a regenerative future. Bienal’23 co-artistic directors Jayne Dyer and Virgílio Ferreira invited 70 artists and 14 guest curators in 14 locations in Porto, transforming them into dynamic creative spaces where visitors are invited to participate in artistic ‘Acts of Empathy’.

Bienal’23 explores our ability to feel, collaborate and drive change through artistic acts of connectivity, reparation, and healing via CONECTAR, EXPANDIR, SUSTENTAR, VIVIFICAR (Connect, Expand, Sustain, Vivify), four sections that intersect local and global perspectives. While SUSTENTAR features creative laboratories in Portuguese urban centers that look into urban and regional sustainability issues, VIVIFICAR, through artistic residencies with communities, addresses one of the most pressing issues in low-density territories: the settlement of populations. Because these two sections demand concrete solutions and actions, EXPANDIR brings an experimental dimension by presenting academic and professional socio-ecological initiatives for emerging artists. CONECTAR fosters diverse cultural and artistic ecosystems through the interchange of exhibition projects, ideas, and transdisciplinary practices on a national and worldwide scale.

Bienal’23 features projects that are supported by deliberate artist engagement in community and environmental activities in order to foster reparative acts and empathy for the future.