Drawing from Territory

Drawing from territory is an international artistic and scientific conference held within the framework of the XXIV International Biennial of Art of Cerveira, with the support of research centres from the University of Porto: the Research Institute in Art, Design and Society (i2ADS), the Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT), and the Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment (CITTA).

Rooted in the border territory of Vila Nova de Cerveira, in northern Portugal, and Galicia, the initiative proposes a discussion of pressing territorial issues, with particular attention to border regions as spaces of negotiation, permeability, exchange, and tension.

Drawing from territory invites artists, scientists, professionals from STEM fields, as well as researchers from all areas of knowledge, to engage with Drawing as a broad and transversal discipline, capable of articulating research and praxis across different domains.

About

The international conference Drawing from Territory is a production of the Cerveira Art Biennial Foundation, held within the framework of the XXIV International Biennial of Art of Cerveira, under the artistic direction of Mafalda Santos. This edition addresses the theme “Borderless Territories”, taking the cross-border territory of Vila Nova de Cerveira as its starting point, in relation to Galicia and within a wider international dimension.

The conference is an initiative by Luís Espinheira and Vasco Cardoso, researchers at the Research Institute in Art, Design and Society (i2ADS). It follows the line of research they have been developing, namely within the FCT-funded project DRAWinU (DOI 10.54499/PTDC/ART-OUT/3560/2021), the Open Conferences “Territory’s Representations, its Drawing and Images”, and the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme “Territories and Drawings”, in collaboration with the Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT) and the Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment (CITTA).

Drawing from Territory proposes a comprehensive discussion on territory and the knowledge that can be drawn from it, through drawings and drawing practices across different fields of knowledge. With particular attention to border territories, the conference reflects on processes of knowledge acquisition, sharing, and dissemination through Drawing, across the domains of Art, Science, and Technology.

Recognising Drawing’s singular capacity to confer, construct, and mediate visuality, Drawing from Territory focuses on its most expansive and transversal understanding. Drawing is thus approached simultaneously as a form of visual thinking, as a device for knowledge production, and as an artistic, scientific, and technological instrument and practice.

Departing from diverse drawings and methodological approaches, the conference seeks to discuss both the challenges and the strategic potentials of border territories. To this end, artists and researchers in Art are invited alongside geographers, geologists, architects, engineers, historians, archaeologists, among others, to reflect on these issues through their own drawings and visual research practices.

The conference is structured around questions such as:

• How can territorially grounded issues be thought through Drawing in the various disciplines?
• What strategies can Drawing mobilise to enable visual thinking about territory?
• What new interpretative insights may emerge from approaches to territory which are grounded in visual thinking?
• In what ways does visual thinking contribute to understanding territorial realities?
• In what ways does visual thinking contribute to formulating problems, and to recognising the potential of border territories?

Drawing from Territory thus proposes a dual focus: on the one hand, on the outcomes of Drawing; on the other, on its processes, methods, and practices, understood as a critical, situated, and transversal way of thinking about territory.

Committees

Chairs

Vasco Cardoso
Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, Research Institute in Art, Design and Society and Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning

Luís Espinheira
Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto and Research Institute in Art, Design and Society

Mafalda Santos
Artistic Director of the Cerveira Art Biennial Foundation, P.F.

Scientific Committee

Carlos Rodrigues, University of Porto
Fernando José Pereira, Artist, i2ADS
Inmaculada López Vílchez, University of Granada
João Ferrão, Institute of Social Sciences - University of Lisbon
Juan Manuel Trillo Santamaría, University of Santiago de Compostela
Lino Cabezas, University of Barcelona
Mário Bismarck, University of Porto
Mário Gonçalves Fernandes, University of Porto
Pascal Dubourg Glatigny, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Centre Alexandre-Koyré
Paulo Luís Almeida, University of Porto
Vítor Silva, University of Porto

Peer Review Committee

To be announced in due course.

Organising Committee

Vasco Cardoso, University of Porto
Luís Espinheira, University of Porto

Fundação Bienal de Arte de Cerveira, F.P.

Board of Directors of Cerveira Art Biennial Foundation, P.F.
Rui Teixeira
Carla Segadães
Pedro Abrunhosa

General Director
Silvie Barroso

Artistic Direction
Mafalda Santos

Communication Manager
Ana Vale Costa

Financial Assistant
Carlos Bouça

Public Procurement
Francisco Esmeriz

Graphic Design and Web Development
Marco Mourão

IT Technician
Calisto Dias

Coordination and Workshop production
Célio Silva

Museology
Rita Veríssimo

Production
FBAC

Executive Secretarial Team
Joel Mota, Liliana Brito

Educational Service
Lídia Portela

Translation
Paulo Martins

Ticket office staff and surveillance
Armanda Bouça, Arsénio Borges, Liliana Brito

Maintenance and cleaning
Arminda Alves, Cândida Freitas, Luísa Cunha

Keynote Speakers

Fernando José Pereira

Artist, i2ADS

Biography
✕
Fernando José Pereira
Fernando José Pereira was born in Porto, the city where he currently lives and works. Since the 1990s, he has developed a multidisciplinary artistic practice in which video plays a central role. He is also the author of theoretical work in the fields of aesthetics and contemporary art.
He is co-founder of the digital platform VIROSE — one of the first initiatives in Portugal dedicated to reflecting on the relationships between art and technology — and a member of the experimental electronic music collective Haarvöl, with albums released by various national and international record labels.
He regularly exhibits at national and international contemporary art museums and has participated in major international exhibitions as well as biennials. Several of his films have been screened at European and American film festivals. His work is represented in both public and private collections.
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Submissions

Artists and researchers in Art are invited alongside geographers, geologists, architects, engineers, historians, archaeologists, among others, to reflect on the Conference themes through their own drawings and visual research practices.

The conference is structured around questions such as:

• How can territorially grounded issues be thought through Drawing in the various disciplines?
• What strategies can Drawing mobilise to enable visual thinking about territory?
• What new interpretative insights may emerge from approaches to territory which are grounded in visual thinking?
• In what ways does visual thinking contribute to understanding territorial realities?
• In what ways does visual thinking contribute to formulating problems, and to recognising the potential of border territories?

Drawing from Territory proposes a dual focus: on the one hand, on the outcomes of Drawing; on the other, on its processes, methods, and practices, understood as a critical, situated, and transversal way of thinking about territory.

Abstracts

Download abstract template ↓

The abstract and the paper to be submitted for presentation at the conference and for publication in the Conference Proceedings must be original, authored by the submitting contributors, and must not be under consideration in any other peer-review submission process.

Each author, individually or as part of a group, may submit a maximum of two abstracts.

The accepted languages are Portuguese, English and Spanish.

Abstracts must be submitted by sending a PDF file to the following email address, by 15 May 2026 (anywhere on Earth): dft@bienaldecerveira.pt

Papers (after approved abstract)

Download full text template ↓

The paper to be submitted for presentation at the conference and for publication in the Conference Proceedings must be original, authored by the submitting contributors, and must not be under consideration in any other peer-review submission process.

Each author, individually or as part of a group, may submit a maximum of two full papers for future presentation and publication.

The accepted languages are Portuguese, English and Spanish.

Full papers must be submitted by sending a PDF file to the following email address, by 30 August 2026 (anywhere on Earth): dft@bienaldecerveira.pt

Important dates

15th May	Deadline for abstract submission
30th May	Deadline for notification of the results of the reviewers’ committee evaluations
15th June	Deadline for submission of the revised abstract (if applicable)
30th June	Deadline for notification of the results regarding revised abstracts
30th July	Release of the provisional programme
30th August	Deadline for submission of full papers for communication to the conference and publication on the Conference Proceedings
30th September	Deadline for notification of the results of the reviewers’ committee evaluations of the full papers
30th October	Deadline for submission of revised full papers (if applicable)
30th October	Release of the final programme
23rd, 24th and 25th November	Conference
30th December	Publication of the Conference Proceedings

Registrations

Registration Fees - Author Registration

Registration includes:
Full access to the conference, coffee breaks, the field trip, and Conference Dinner.

Student registration:
Students with valid proof of enrolment are eligible for a reduced registration fee, with a discount of €125 in all categories. The reduced fee includes access to all keynote lectures, panel sessions, and coffee breaks.

Registration Fees - Non-Author / General Registration

Registration includes:
Full access to the conference, all coffee breaks, and the field trip.

Student registration:
Students with valid proof of enrolment are eligible for a reduced registration fee, with a discount of €25 in all categories. The reduced fee includes access to all keynote lectures, panel sessions, and coffee breaks.

Cancellation Policy

We cannot offer any refunds of conference fees.

Programme

(in preparation)

Practical Information

Museu Bienal de Cerveira – Fórum Cultural de Cerveira

Address
Fórum Cultural de Cerveira
Avenida das Comunidades Portuguesas, s/n
4920-251 Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal

Coordinates
Latitude: 41.946262 (41° 56′ 47″ N)
Longitude: −8.742537 (8° 44′ 33″ W)

Phone
+351 251 794 633

Email
geral@bienaldecerveira.pt

Website
bienaldecerveira.pt

Getting There

By Train
Vila Nova de Cerveira Railway Station — 19-minute walk (1.3 km)

By Bus
Vila Nova de Cerveira Bus Terminal — 16-minute walk (1.1 km)
Autna bus service stop — 8-minute walk (600 m)

Partners