João Pina (Documentary Practice ‘05), an ICP faculty member, opened the solo exhibition Did You See the Ocean? Memories from Tarrafal on October 22, 2026, at the National Museum of Contemporary Art - Museu do Chiado (MNAC) in Lisbon. Curated by Emília Tavares and co-produced with Museus Porto, the exhibition is on view in the museum’s Capelo South Gallery through January 24, 2027. It then travels to the Alfândega do Porto, where it will be presented from March to July 2027.
The project is the result of several years of research into the Tarrafal Prison Camp in Cape Verde, one of the most emblematic sites of political repression under Portugal’s Estado Novo dictatorship. Established in 1936 to imprison political opponents, the camp later held members of African liberation movements from Portugal’s former colonies and closed in 1974.
Drawing on the Pina family archive of around 800 letters, photographs, and documents, including those of his grandfather, Guilherme da Costa Carvalho, who was a political prisoner at Tarrafal from 1949 to 1951, the show brings together approximately 250 photographs and historical documents. The title comes from a letter sent to his grandfather during his imprisonment.
Combining contemporary photography with historical records and personal testimonies, Pina examines the legacies of colonialism and how memories of political repression are passed down through generations. The exhibition coincides with the centenary of the establishment of dictatorial regimes in Portugal and the 90th anniversary of the camp’s creation.
The exhibition features the work from João’s book Tarrafal, published by GOST in 2024. The book includes the only known photographs taken inside Tarrafal, alongside archival materials and Pina’s own contemporary photographs.
.
Visit João’s website to see more of his work and achievements.
Images: João Pina
Joao Pina
