Between 24 July and 7 August, MAAT and the artist Jeannette Ehlers invite you to participate in the Open Call for the performance We're Magic. We're Real #3 (These Walls), by Jeannette Ehlers. The performance will take place on 17 September as part of the opening of the exhibition Black Ancient Futures. Presented at the MAAT Gallery, MAAT Central and MAAT Garden between 18 September 2024 and 17 March 2025, the exhibition brings together a group of international artists from the African diaspora, some of whom are being presented in Portugal for the first time. Set against a backdrop of profuse visual density, the exhibition opens up wide-ranging thematic fields including mythology, ecology, science, technology, fiction and African history.

Jeannette Ehlers, who will present two works in the exhibition, began developing the performance series We're Magic, We're Real in 2020. The entire work series makes use of hair as an important identity marker among the African diaspora, as a simple yet powerful gesture. Performers with African heritage will be connected to MAAT's facade by way of long cornrows, as if the braids were growing out of the walls, which will remain on display at MAAT throughout the exhibition.

Accompanied by the sound of the roar of the Atlantic, the performers move slowly back and forth in front of the building, repeating a sentence from time to time, each in a different language: Portuguese, English and Danish. Quietly but insistently, they attract the attention of passers-by. Grief and strength are present in equal measure in the meditative performance, which expresses a yearning for life outside the plantation system, and for the forest as a literal and symbolic sanctuary.

Duration of the performance: the performance will take approximately sixty (60) minutes.

Payment: The service provided within the scope of the We’re Magic performance. We’re Real #3 (These Walls) will be paid. Each selected person will receive an artist fee for their participation in the performance and rehearsal.

• The application process involves filling in an application form available on the MAAT website.
• When applying, candidates must send their CV and a cover letter in English (maximum 350 words) in PDF format and a photograph of themselves (face and full body) to maat@edp.pt. 
• The application form and CV must be written in English for consultation with the artist Jeannette Ehlers.