The project "Why do I Need to State the Obvious" is a multidisciplinary installation about identity and human mobility. It intertwines issues of history, cultural diversity, and matters of race and borders through the legacy of my grandmother Amélia and our family history.
My grandmother’s name was Amélia Batista Monteiro, born on October 10, 1907, in Mozambique. Her mother was Mozambican, and her father was from Goa, India. She had eight children: six with my grandfather and two with other partners. Two of her partners were Portuguese soldiers who served in Mozambique during World War I. From these eight children, 47 grandchildren were born, and I am one of them. Although I am only 51 years old, five generations have followed my grandmother. Today, this extended family is spread across 15 countries around the world, with members of various ethnicities and nationalities.
The project uses visual and sound elements to convey the richness of my family’s history. The exhibition will serve as a family archive, allowing viewers to observe the changes and transformations within the family, track the movements of its members across the world, explore the blending of cultures, and experience the visual and cultural changes from generation to generation within the same lineage.
This information will be presented through a wall map highlighting the family members and their global movements, a family tree, photographs, and a mosaic reflecting our lineage. An audio installation invites visitors to engage with the stories of our family, revisiting the past and exploring its traces in the present.
The project represents the complex identity of the family and simultaneously reflects broader issues of identity, heritage, and the interconnectedness of humanity. By placing my grandmother Amélia at the centre of this project and at the heart of this family tree, I aim to highlight the diversity of my family and challenge social notions of race and belonging. There is only one human race; there is only one planet Earth.
The project and its results will be presented at Casa do Comum in Bairro Alto in early 2026, and throughout the year, a series of public lectures and workshops will be held. The exhibition will be accompanied by an educational program, including film screenings and discussions with individuals from various communities, revealing the behind-the-scenes history of the project.