Is the artistic name Cristina Cartolina familiar to you? If you already know the work of this visual artist, Lisbon in Us by Cristina Cabral will reveal her relationship with the city that welcomed her and that she came to adopt as her own. If you do not know her at all, you will certainly appreciate not only her text but also her creative work, filled with messages that invite reflection.
This Lisbon I Love
This Lisbon I love, which welcomed me exactly fifty years ago — not exactly with open arms, it must be said (neither to me nor to the thousands of Portuguese arriving from the former African colonies) — is my city: the city I inhabit and the city that inhabits me, feeding my creative imagination.
Those were difficult times, for those who arrived and for those already here. That Lisbon of long ago, so grey, so black and white, gradually began to fill with colour — vibrant colours brought by these other Portuguese, so different from the locals. In a Lisbon still learning to live in freedom, and at times not quite knowing what to do with it, the presence of these other Portuguese created divisions, not only among the people of Lisbon but among the Portuguese in general. What habits were these? What foods were these? What were these bright colours? But Lisbon, which so often reinvented itself over the centuries, soon embraced these new ways of life and began to gain colour. The waters of the Tagus took on a more rhythmic sway, the streets welcomed new accents, new words, new sounds, new music, and it was in diversity that this new Lisbon was built—open to the world and to the future.
Despite this troubled beginning, I quickly fell in love with the light of this city, with the blue of its sky, with the pavements patterned in black and white stone, with the colours of Maluda’s rooftops, with the words of Pessoa and Ary, with the guitars of fado and the new songs of Sérgio Godinho or José Mário Branco, with the smell of roasted chestnuts in autumn and grilled sardines in summer. As I grew, this Lisbon also grew within me. Every day brought a new discovery, a new place, and even today I can still find new corners in this city in constant transformation. It is with some perplexity and discomfort that I still witness the reluctance and distrust towards those who come from elsewhere. Lisbon has always been a huge melting pot of cultures, and it is this diversity that enriches us and makes us unique. A short walk through the city centre reveals these cultural legacies in its buildings, streets, habits, and words, yet without losing its identity as a port city turned towards the ocean—gateway to the old world, departure point for new horizons.
Today, above all, I feel Lisboner—by choice and by conviction.
This is my Lisbon, and I like it just as it is.
| Lisbon in Us by Cristina Cabral | |
|---|---|
| Mini introduction | Cristina Cabral, also known as Cristina Cartolina, Lisboner by adoption and conviction, 51 years old, Visual Artist. Follow her work on Instagram. |
| An inspiring place | Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation |
| An unmissable visit | The Lisbon Book Fair |
| Her mouth waters with… | Bifanas (traditional Portuguese pork sandwiches) at O Trevo – Largo do Camões |
| A song… | Lisboa que Amanhece by Sérgio Godinho |
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