ABOUT CÓRTEX FRONTAL

Córtex Frontal is a multidisciplinary cultural project created in 2016 by the Cultural Association Córtexcult, in Arraiolos, Alentejo, Portugal.
We organize artist residencies, workshops and exhibitions on Visual Arts, Performative Arts, Literature & Music. Our goal is to promote and develop cultural projects, establishing a lively dialogue between artists from various disciplines, the local community and the territory.

Córtex Frontal is part of the Portuguese Contemporary Art Networks RPAC.

FOUNDERS

Mercedes Vidal-Abarca

(Vitoria, Spain) After living and studying in several countries since the age of 18, she arrived in Portugal in 2008 where she studied fine arts at SBA, Arco and MArt.

The idea of creating a cultural association within the arts in a multidisciplinary context was born in 2014 and began operating in 2015 under her direction. The relationship between artistic projects and institutions, other cultural agents and the local population is her priority, and each year it has strengthened thanks to strategic partnerships.

Nuno Félix da Costa

Born in Lisbon. Psychiatrist and professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. He has exhibited painting and photography since 1983 (Galeria Módulo, Lisbon) and has published poetry (na & Etc, 1993) and literary essays. Since 2015 he co-directs the Cortex Frontal project.
www.nunofelixdacosta.com

ARRAIOLOS

Arraiolos is a small, white and blue Alentejan town. It is situated 120 km far from Lisbon and 20 km from Évora, surrounded by plains, oak and olive tree forest. It´s famous for its circular castle, hand embroidered wool rugs and carpets. Arraiolos rugs have been made since the Middle Ages.
As Arraiolos is the capital of a larger 7.800 inhabitants council, it concentrates restaurants, pharmacies, public pool, library etc, that makes artist-in-residency´s life easy and convenient.

The House of the Córtexcult Cultural Association, according to José Borges in the book “Arraiolos revisitado a preta e Branco”, was located “On the most noble street in the village, called Melo Mexia, is this family's manor house, consisting of an elegant façade, from the end of the 18th century, but greatly benefited from the morgue of Arraiolos João de Melo Mexia, to receive the king D. Pedro V there in 1860.”