Exhibition ‘When Sweets Become Body’ [update]
The exhibition “When the body becomes sweet. Eroticism and religiosity in Portuguese confectionery”, curated by Paula Barata Dias, was on display at the Lisbon Museum - Santo António from June 19 to September 7, 2025. Due to high visitor numbers, the exhibition — initially scheduled until July 31 — was extended throughout August and the first week of September. Its impact was recognised nationally, having been featured on RTP1 Portugal em Direto (July 25) and Praça da Alegria (September 1).
RTP:
⟶ Praça da Alegria - Part 1 | September 1, 2025 – min. 17:17
⟶ Praça da Alegria - Part 1 | September 1, 2025 – min. 15:30
⟶ Praça da Alegria - Part 3 | September 1, 2025 – min. 20:53
⟶ Portugal em Direto - Part 2 | July 25, 2025 – min. 21:39
⟶ Portugal em Direto - Part 3 | July 25, 2025 – min. 11:32
The exhibition has also been featured on various platforms:
⟶ Observador | September 6, 2025
⟶ 7margens | August 5, 2025
⟶ Coletivo Memória & Resistência | July 27, 2025
⟶ Lisboa Secreta | July 21, 2025
⟶ Lisboa Cultura | July 18, 2025
⟶ Lisboa Secreta | July 16, 2025
⟶ NiT | July 7, 2025
⟶ 24notícias | June 14, 2025
On July 24, the exhibition catalogue was launched:
⟶ "Quando o corpo se faz doce"
Book available for purchase at the Lisbon Museum Shop:
The exhibition hosted a series of initiatives/talks, starting with:
- July 5, 11h00: guided tour by curator Paula Barata Dias (Integrated Researcher at CECH)
- July 10, 6.30pm: One Saint, many paths. Bread in three Portuguese festivals of São Gonçalo, by Cristina Oliveira Bastos (Collaborating Researcher - PhD Student - at CECH)
- July 17, 18h30: Lisbon in the 18th century: a city devoted to Saint Anthony and confectionery, by Nuno Dias
- July 24, 18h30: Launch of the catalogue Quando o Corpo se faz doce, by Paula Barata Dias and Cristina Bastos Oliveira
- July 31, 18h30: What is a convent sweet? Myths and facts in the construction of a tourist and gastronomic storytelling, by João Pedro Gomes (CECH Collaborating Researcher)