Borrowed Earth | 借土渡海 | Terra Emprestada

About the Exhibition

Borrowed Earth · 借土渡海

The idea was quite simple: to look for the remnants of Chinese ceramics in Portuguese daily life. To re-examine what happened to that exchange of know-how that traveled all the way from Jingdezhen and then took root in Lisbon and its surroundings.

But the whole premise was full of misleading assumptions.

After all, what are those celebrated Chinese ceramics? What constitutes the Portuguese daily life? And how could we bring this discussion (and the ceramic artform) back to China, if not through the fixed moment of a camera shot?

Official Opening · 5 February 2027

Coimbra 科英布拉

Instituto Confúcio da Universidade de Coimbra · 科英布拉大学孔子学院

The inauguration will also host the award ceremony of the photography open call — the three winning artists of Borrowed Earth will receive their prizes on this night.

University of Coimbra — aerial view of the courtyard

Official opening · 5 February 2027 · Exhibition dates to be announced

Art Sale

Acquire a Work

All prints are giclée on Felix Schoeller TRUE RAG SILK 310gsm archival paper, shipped flat with passe-partout (never rolled) and quality certificate. Limited editions are numbered and signed by the artist, accompanied by a Loureiro Studio certificate of authenticity — verifiable on the official Loureiro Studio website. We currently ship to Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Portugal — SF Express from Xiamen for China, Hong Kong and Macau; CTT from Viseu for Portugal (deliveries from January 2027, alongside the Coimbra exhibition). Free pick-up at the Coimbra exhibition.

On the wall — size & framing reference

A3 limited editions (29.7 × 42 cm): edition of 5 + 1 AP, numbered and signed. B5 open editions (17.6 × 25 cm): not numbered or signed. If a signed edition is unavailable at purchase, a Proof of Purchase is issued with our commitment to deliver. Prices shown in RMB with fixed exhibition reference rates (€1 = ¥8 · MOP 1 = ¥0.89); payment is charged in RMB.

Availability is updated weekly. [email protected]

Opening Weekend · 05–06.09.2026

Opening in Beijing

Beijing · Parallel Programme · concluded

Talks & Encounters

05Sep

Opening · Curator's Talk «Borrowed Earth, Borrowed Form»

Caterina Paiva 裴瑞灵

05Sep

Artist's Talk «Porcelain Fate»

Ding Wei 丁伟

06Sep

«On the Aesthetic Encounter» — Jury's Talk & Partner's Talk

Matteo Ravasio (Peking University) · Representative of the Embassy of Portugal in China

19Sep

Roundtable «The Beauty of the New-Old»

Michael Cherney (UCCA) · Li Jin 李晋 (CC ARTWALK) · Samuel Sklar (Peking University) — moderated by Caterina Paiva

All events start at 3:00 PM at Anlan Zizai Coffee 安澜自在咖啡. Free entrance — on 6 & 19 September, a minimum of one drink per person is kindly requested.

The Exhibition

Context & Programme

Caterina Paiva 裴瑞灵

Curator · Director, Loureiro Studio

Caterina Paiva (裴瑞灵) is a curator and cultural consultant, a PhD candidate in Art History and Theory at Peking University, trained in Philosophy and Anthropology. She is the founder of Sinóptica 提纲 magazine, Editor-Curator of Borrowed Earth and Director of Loureiro Studio.

Venue

Visit the Exhibition

Next stop · Próxima paragem · 下一站

Instituto Confúcio da Universidade de Coimbra

科英布拉大学孔子学院

University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

Official opening · 5 February 2027 · Exhibition dates to be announced

Previous stop · Estação anterior · 上一站

Anlan Zizai Coffee

安澜自在咖啡

No. 33 Da'anlanying Hutong, Dazhalan Street, Xicheng District, Beijing

05.09 — 05.10.2026 · concluded

Coming Next

The exhibition will travel — and the works will be on sale on site

Macao 澳门

Dates and venues to be announced in the coming months.

Origins & Selection

Open Call & Jury

Borrowed Earth began as an open call for photography, inviting artists to explore Chinese ceramics in contemporary life — objects, gestures, domestic spaces, and rituals. The winning works were selected through an anonymous jury process.