Contextile 2026 officially opened today in Guimarães with a full day dedicated to textile art throughout the city, under the theme "By a Thread". The great highlight of this edition is the presence of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who signs three projects specifically designed for the city: "Camouflage" at the Plataforma das Artes e da Criatividade, "Net" at the Tanques de Couros, and "Fabrication" at the Centro Internacional das Artes José de Guimarães (CIAJG).
The International Exhibition, the core of the program, brings together 53 works from 50 artists from 27 countries, selected from over two thousand applications. The opening day began in the morning with the presentation of "Growing House" at the Espaço Curtir Ciência and "Weaving the Green" at the Mercado Municipal e Jardim do Recinto da Feira, continuing until the evening.
The highlight of the day included the presentation of "Emergências" at IDEGUI with proposals from art schools, the official opening of the biennial and the inauguration of the International Exhibition at the Centro Cultural Vila Flor, and the opening of "A Change in the Weather?" at Garagem Avenida. At 18:00, the three works by Ai Weiwei were presented, distributed across various spaces in the city.
The opening day concluded at 21:00 with a performative moment at Praça da Plataforma das Artes, which brought together the Coro Feminino das Moiras, the collective Operariada and the project By a Thread. Visit to the spaces was free on this opening day, switching in the following days to the Contextile Pass, at a price of 10 euros per person.
