The exhibition "Pela Pele da Cidade" is taking place in Guimarães as part of the celebrations of the third anniversary of the extension of the Leather Zone to UNESCO World Heritage status. Promoted by the Municipality of Guimarães, curated by MGA Project / Fuga Pela Escada, the exhibition can be visited until November 15, 2026.
The exhibition proposes a contemporary reflection on the Leather Zone, a territory marked by the activity of the old tanneries and by its historical, social and heritage relevance. From the concept of "skin" as a sensitive surface and place of contact, the artists also explore leather, the material that gave identity to the zone over centuries.
For decades, the Leather Zone was the scene of intense industrial activity, where artisanal knowledge, repeated gestures and the physical effort of workers played a fundamental role. Although many of these stories have remained on the margins of official records, their traces continue to be present in the architecture, water channels, tanks and various elements that have resisted time.
The artists Daniel Kickflip, Gonçalo Fontes and Soraia Oliveira develop artistic proposals that establish relationships between body, matter and space, using leather, industrial materials and architectural fragments. More than revisiting the past, the exhibition seeks to reinterpret it in light of the present, inviting the public to discover new narratives about one of the most emblematic territories of Guimarães.
