Presentation by the President of the Portuguese Republic on the occasion of the inauguration of the Contemporary Design Exhibition - Montra

Helsinki
10 de Outubro de 2002


I am delighted by the opportunity of presenting in this beautiful city an exhibition of contemporary Portuguese design. Finland is a country with a very rich tradition, is indeed a reference in the field of utilitarian arts. This exhibition is a tribute to that heritage we all admire and proposes a dialogue which we hope will continue to develop in the future, namely when Finland presents next year its own exhibition of design in Lisbon.

Montra is the name of the exhibition - meaning shop window or showcase – It is being held at Artek, a prestigious space, and it invites the citizens of Helsinki to discover the best of Portuguese design. Although it is impossible to present a fully comprehensive show, our selection offers an up to date, representative and multiple panorama of the products conceived by Portuguese designers of different generations and trends. Following decades of dictatorship and isolation, the development of design in Portugal in the last years also is another sign of our openness and modernisation.

Building an increasingly united Europe, requires that we become familiar with each country’s output in every sector. The home of Alvar Aalto welcomes to this space the land of Siza Vieira as an assertion of friendship and participation in the European ideal.

I would like to thank the curator of this exhibition and his team for the work they have done, as well as all the designers represented here and all those who supported Montra in Finland and in Portugal.

Madam President,

I am extremely honoured by your presence here today, making this event exceptionally significant. This is yet another mark of attention to add to the many I have received from you during this visit, for which I am truly grateful. There could be no better way open this exhibition.