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Vilena Fridovskaya
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BOA
BOA Lab was an art gallery and event space co-founded by Vilena in 2019.
Through her leadership and innovative approach, the gallery quickly became an international hub for emerging talents and established artists alike, showcasing a diverse array of works that captivated and inspired visitors from around the world. BOA Lab became a well-known brand, growing organically and appearing
in Vogue and Whitewall Magazine.
Paul de Flers, "Penha de França"
Paul de Flers creates sculptural objects that question the boundary between art and design. His work examines material transformation through controlled processes that reveal unexpected properties in everyday substances. This exhibition presented a series of interventions where industrial materials were subjected to precise conditions, resulting in forms that appear both deliberate and organic.
The work shown included pieces from his ongoing research into compression, crystallization, and surface tension. Each object documented a specific moment in a material's lifecycle, frozen at the point where structure begins to assert itself. The installation allowed viewers to observe how different materials respond to identical forces, creating a visual conversation about inherent properties versus imposed form.
The artist is now represented by Almine Rech. The centre piece of the exhibition was acquired by the Pinault Foundation.
The work shown included pieces from his ongoing research into compression, crystallization, and surface tension. Each object documented a specific moment in a material's lifecycle, frozen at the point where structure begins to assert itself. The installation allowed viewers to observe how different materials respond to identical forces, creating a visual conversation about inherent properties versus imposed form.
The artist is now represented by Almine Rech. The centre piece of the exhibition was acquired by the Pinault Foundation.
Mathieu Chavaren, "Laisser Place"
"Laisser Place" resulted from painter Mathieu Chavaren's residency at BOA Lab. Through objects he calls "laisser-places" (placeholder objects), Chavaren offers tools for reconnection to the contemplative territory art opens. As part of the residency, he collaborated with AWEED record label to produce an ambient track for the main artwork, "Élévation par la Musique," integrating sound and visual practice.
Mickael Doucet, "Entrevoir"
"Entrevoir" was co-curated with Marion Guggenheim. Mickael Doucet's carefully constructed landscapes offer glimpses of past civilizations through architectural and design forms that remain peaceful and serene despite the fragility of human life that once inhabited them. The spaces are deliberately filled with objects, colors, and fleeting moments that create a poetic tension between permanence and impermanence.
Pedro Batista, "Standstil"
Pedro Batista’s latest work from his BOA Gallery residency, "Standstill," looks at how we remember time through dream-like scenes. He combines city views and architecture with a warm pastel palette. The still figures reflect a year when our sense of space and time shifted. These pieces act as a personal archive, blending photos and old objects with his own lived experience.
Kouka Ntadi, "Homens"
"Homens" brought together Kouka Ntadi's decade-long exploration of the mythical "Guerriers Bantu." During his Lisbon residency, the artist created new work inspired by the city's architecture and colors, re-appropriating symbolic Portuguese objects and integrating his painting into traditional media including azulejos (tiles), garafão (ceramic jugs), and barcos (boats). BOA commissioned a five-story building mural that became emblematic for Lisbon's art scene.
As part of the exhibition, BOA commissioned Kouka, a mural covering the gallery's five-story building.
As part of the exhibition, BOA commissioned Kouka, a mural covering the gallery's five-story building.
Duarte Burnay, "Nuvem Vermelha"
Duarte Burnay's first solo exhibition, "Nuvem Vermelha" (Red Cloud), explored how historical material can be reactivated through new conceptual frameworks. The work invites viewers to engage with history not as fixed narrative but as material for imagining alternative futures.
Claudia Sorbac, "Interlaced"
"Interlaced" presented the photographic work of Franco-Colombian artist Claudia Sorbac. The body of work, compiled over two years, documents Portugal's natural parks, forests, and botanical gardens. Through black and white images printed on gelatin silver and baryta paper, Sorbac offers a systematic study of Portugal's plant life and landscape.
First Line Design Edition
First Line Design Edition brought together seventeen artisans working across ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and woodworking to present collectible design as a dialogue between maker and material. The exhibition positioned handcrafted objects within the context of contemporary art, demonstrating how artisan production carries conceptual weight alongside aesthetic value.
Coordinating production across seventeen independent makers required managing different timelines, material sourcing, and technical specifications while maintaining a cohesive curatorial vision. The exhibition framework allowed each artisan's methodology to remain visible in the finished work, preserving the relationship between designer intention and maker interpretation. Objects were presented to collectors as both functional design and artistic practice, with provenance documentation for each piece.
The project established a model for how galleries can work with multiple artisans simultaneously, creating infrastructure that protects the creative process while meeting commercial timelines. The exhibition demonstrated that collectible design can operate within the institutional art market when properly positioned and documented.
Featuring Designers:
Ana Rod
André Costa
Andres Ciccone
Antoine Becognee
Apewood
Barracão
Curtil
Dovain Studio
Heir Ceramics
Jack Lawrance
Kaukaus
Lota Studio
Marta Raimundo
Martinho Pita Studio
Normo
Oficina 166
Sebastião Lobo
Coordinating production across seventeen independent makers required managing different timelines, material sourcing, and technical specifications while maintaining a cohesive curatorial vision. The exhibition framework allowed each artisan's methodology to remain visible in the finished work, preserving the relationship between designer intention and maker interpretation. Objects were presented to collectors as both functional design and artistic practice, with provenance documentation for each piece.
The project established a model for how galleries can work with multiple artisans simultaneously, creating infrastructure that protects the creative process while meeting commercial timelines. The exhibition demonstrated that collectible design can operate within the institutional art market when properly positioned and documented.
Featuring Designers:
Ana Rod
André Costa
Andres Ciccone
Antoine Becognee
Apewood
Barracão
Curtil
Dovain Studio
Heir Ceramics
Jack Lawrance
Kaukaus
Lota Studio
Marta Raimundo
Martinho Pita Studio
Normo
Oficina 166
Sebastião Lobo
Delia Hamer, "The Tree of Knowledge was a Palm Tree"
Delia Hamer's "The Tree of Knowledge was a Palm Tree" explored the paradox of the garden as both sanctuary and enclosure. The exhibition examined how sacred spaces of regeneration can transform into sites of isolation, questioning when protection becomes imprisonment. Through painting and installation, Hamer investigated mythical gardens, secret gardens, and walled gardens as metaphors for psychological states.
Group Show, "Elemental Origins"
"Elemental Origins" brought together Stefanie Pullin, Camilo Villegas, and Felipe Martinez-Villalba in a group exhibition exploring the deconstruction of reality. Despite distinct individual practices, the artists shared an interest in metaphysical forms and the construction of new visual worlds that embody both beauty and danger.
Sebastião Lobo, "Cerebral Cysticercosis"
Sebastião Lobo presented his first solo exhibition in Portugal with "Cerebral Cysticercosis." The exhibition investigated the mystic and bewildering ideas that can dominate consciousness, making visible the artist's fears and visions through form, light, and shadow. The work transforms psychological interiority into tangible, accessible visual language.
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