The 5th edition of BoCA - Biennial of Contemporary Arts, which takes place simultaneously in Lisbon and Madrid, proposes a journey across Iberia that challenges the boundaries between geographical territories, cultures, imaginations and artistic practices. Curated by John Romão, BoCA 2025 arrives as the cultural event that best represents the Iberian art scene, encompassing diverse artistic disciplines — performance, visual art, music and cinema — and over 30 cultural institutions across Lisbon and Madrid — theatres, museums, cultural centres, cinemas and heritage sites. Through this borderless cultural and geographical reconfiguration, the Biennial builds a stage that is both singular and plural, reflecting voices from the artistic and cultural fabric of both countries and fomenting contemporary artistic production in an international context. By inviting artists from diverse backgrounds to try out new collaborations and formats, enter into dialogue with communities and journey across artistic terrain, BoCA embraces the encounter with the “other” as a political and artistic practice of alterity. It is in this context that BoCA has commissioned and presents unique projects — including world and national premieres — that challenge borders, be they geographical or political, creative or experimental.
Next events
- Lisboa
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10 September – 26 October
Installation
Espaço BoCA
Free admission
Os Espacialistas
Mappa: Concetto Spaziale
Designed for Espaço BoCA in Lisbon, the Espacialista scenographic installation entitled “Mappa: Concetto Spaziale” was created to be the biennial’s meeting point, a space that hosts concerts, performances, talks, workshops, a store and moments of conviviality. -
9 – 15 October
Installation, performance
Estufa Fria
El Conde de Torrefiel
Yo No Tengo Nombre
The performative installation Yo No Tengo Nombre, features an LED screen cutting through the landscape, projecting a text that oscillates between the poetic and the prophetic. This discourse questions the relationship between humans and nature, reversing the role of the observer: what if it were nature looking at us — and naming us? -
Elena Córdoba
Anatomia poética: o calor vital dos vivos
Over two days, Elena Córdoba invites participants to focus on an element that is often invisible, yet remains essential: heat. Heat as the fundamental movement of life. As a silent language. Produced and dissipated continuously — by the skin, by breathing, by hairs — here heat is explored as choreographic material and relational medium.
- Madrid
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Tânia Carvalho, Rocío Guzmán
Nossas Mãos / Nuestras Manos
This encounter reveals not the fusion but the coexistence of the Portuguese and Spanish artists, between melancholy and force, between the fragility of gestures and the power of presence. -
Raquel André
Belonging | E di | Pertenencia | Zugehörigkeit | Pertença | 絆
Meeting people, getting to know their personal stories, their lives, their memories full of future. This show, which could be a performance film, suggests an immersion in the complexity of the idea of belonging. -
João Pedro Rodrigues, João Rui Guerra da Mata
13 Alfinetes
Commissioned by BoCA, “13 Alfinetes” is a new short film by João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata, a work of fiction that blends devotion, desire and spectres. Drawing inspiration from a miracle attributed to Santo António and filtered through the restless gaze of the two directors, the film draws on this legend to construct a contemporary tale of faith, revenge and disillusionment.
Mappa: Concetto Spaziale, new Espacialista installation for Espaço BoCA
Designed for Espaço BoCA in Lisbon, the scenographic installation entitled “Mappa: Concetto Spaziale” was created to be the biennial’s meeting point, a space that hosts concerts, performances, talks, workshops, a store and moments of conviviality.
Performance cycle “I Want to See My Mountains” returns in the 5th edition of BoCA Biennial
With Isabel Cordovil, Gemma Luz Bosch and Janet Novás
Camino Irreal is the title of the 5th edition of the BoCA 2025 biennial
Check out the programme
BoCA revealed in Lisbon and Madrid, on July 15 and 16, respectively, the first confirmations of the artists and projects that make up its 5th edition.
BoCA Sub21
Participatory project for artistic thought and creation in Lisbon and Madrid
BoCA Sub21 is a participatory and experimental project that was born during the first edition of the BoCA contemporary arts biennial. For young people aged between 16 and 21.