Born during a period shaped by democratization movements and with the end of the authoritarian Estado Novo regime (1974) in sight, Carla Filipe’s work reflects the turbulence of this era. In her practice, Filipe utilizes modes of political messaging such as protest images, flyers, and posters, as well as biographical materials and photographs. These materials are consolidated into architectural and print collages,  building counter-archives that complement and contradict dominant historical narratives. Via interviews, research, and observations, Filipe collects and documents the traces of individual and collective narratives, critically questioning conventional accounts of the past and present. It is in this spirit that the work Students in socialist countries (Part II), a continuation of the work As Primas da Bulgária (Part 1) (The cousins from Bulgaria, 2014), negotiates personal stories and testimonies to question the gap between ‘official’ and ‘unofficial’ historicizing. The work is an ongoing research project started in 2011 that collects and reworks archival material to document the aftermath of the 1974 Carnation Revolution. A central moment for Portuguese democratization, the revolution is intertwined with the independence movements of a number of former Portuguese colonies, including Portuguese Guinea, Cabo Verde, Mozambique, Sao Tomé e Principe, and Angola, as well as the declaration of independence in East Timor. The work documents and reconstitutes this often overlooked episode of contemporary Portuguese history through personal testimonials and recollections of the young students that migrated to socialist countries in search of better worlds. For Echos der Bruderländer, the artist has incorporated stories and narratives from Cuba, putting Portuguese internationalism in conversation with the experiences in the German Democratic Republic and the Bruderländer.

Commissioned by Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), co-produced by Carla Filipe and HKW, 2023–24.
The artist would like to thank MESCLA printing studio.

Work in the exhibition: Students in socialist countries (Part II) (2024), mural, lino engraving, offset screen printing, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist