Sá da Costa Arte and Ocupart present, on September 13, from 9:30 PM to midnight, the solo exhibition “The Circus of Mr. Clyde Beatty” by Pedro Zamith, featuring texts by Hugo Barreiros, at Galeria Sá da Costa in Lisbon.

In this exhibition, Zamith—drawing inspiration from the historical figure of American animal trainer Clyde Beatty (1903–1965)—ironically explores the decadent and captivating world of the traditional circus. Through this lens, he offers a visual reflection on the dark, grotesque, and deeply human side of spectacle.

The works on display—paintings, drawings, and texts on canvas—bring to life ambiguous characters marked by a melancholic theatricality. Hugo Barreiros’s texts expand this visual universe, adding layers of meaning and irony to the portrayed figures.

About the exhibition, Hugo Barreiros writes:

“Here, nothing is what it seems. The deformed figures or seemingly literal texts, which in truth can be interpreted in many ways, are not absurd. The Circus of Mr. Clyde Beatty is, of course, an art exhibition, but it is also a literary exhibition—and, ultimately, a mirror of our society, which may well be just a circus.

The creative process was shared. A word can be painted in many different ways, just as a painting can be described in thousands of words. I would write a world, and Pedro would respond with a painting— or Pedro would paint a world for me to write about. It was never entirely clear who was creating for whom. If he tamed the canvas, I responded with verbal acrobatics in a constant exchange of stimuli.

As we both have a very personal vision of what we want to communicate to the audience—and where we want to touch them—the result could only be a body of work that makes us reflect on who we are, where we’re going, and what we wish to leave behind, always with the circus tent as the backdrop.

When three worlds come together (painting – literature – circus), the result is a skewed perspective of society while being, at the same time, a faithful portrait of what’s happening in the world.

It is not the art in this exhibition that is absurd. What is absurd is the reality it represents.”

Pedro Zamith
Pedro Zamith was born in Lisbon in 1971. He graduated in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon in 2000 and earned a degree in Scenography and Costume Design from the Lisbon Theatre and Film School (1990–1993).

His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Notable solo shows include those at the National Museum of Ancient Art (2023), Espaço Exibicionista (2018 and 2020), Centro Cultural de Cascais (2014), Galeria Arte Periférica (2011 and 2012), Appleton Square (2009), Galeria Monumental (2003), and Galeria Quadrum (2002). He has also participated in many group projects, including JUST LX Art Fair (2023), Galeria Miguel Justino (2015), FIL ART Lisbon (2011), Berardo Collection Museum (2010), Galeria Carlos Carvalho (2009), “Comboio Fantasma”—in partnership with Manuel João Vieira, André Lemos, and João Maio Pinto, supported by Vera Cortês (2007)—and Galeria Zé dos Bois (2000), among others.

His work is included in the collections of the National Museum of Contemporary Art – Chiado (Lisbon), Portuguese Communications Foundation (Lisbon), Norlinda and José Lima Contemporary Art Collection (São João da Madeira), Luciano Benetton Collection (Ponzano Veneto, Italy), as well as several private collections.

Hugo Barreiros
Hugo Barreiros was born in Lisbon in 1982. He completed his training at the Cascais Theatre School and was soon involved in projects with companies such as the Experimental Theatre of Cascais and Blue Raincoat Theatre Company (Ireland). Founder of the groups Palco13 and Mecanismo Criativo, he has worked continuously in the field of dramaturgy since 2008, with over twenty plays staged.

In parallel, he has worked as a screenwriter for film and television. In December 2023, he published A Antologia Possível, a book compiling seven of his theatrical plays.

The Circus of Mr. Clyde Beatty marks his first collaborative project with a visual artist, opening a new chapter in the intersection between theatre and the visual arts.

Organised by Sá da Costa Arte in partnership with Ocupart, the exhibition The Circus of Mr. Clyde Beatty by Pedro Zamith will be on view from September 15 to October 11 at Galeria Sá da Costa, Monday to Saturday, from 2:30 PM to 7 PM, or at other times by appointment via geral@ocupart.pt or a.sadacosta.mi@gmail.com