CABO VERDE: THE FUTURE
Luxor Theater (12 September - 1 November)
“ Cabo Verde is gaining international visibility, bringing new opportunities for tourism, investment and cultural exchange. Tourism is the largest and most prominent economic driver for Cabo Verde. But as the country looks toward the future, an important question emerges: how can tourism grow while preserving and strengthening Cabo Verdean cultural identity?
Gilson Do Rosário Silva, a Cabo Verdean photographer/artist living and working in Rotterdam, uses his photography to open this conversation. His work documents the people, landscapes and stories that shape Cabo Verdean identity, while asking how these stories can become a stronger part of the country’s cultural offer.
Could institutions dedicated to preserving and sharing Cabo Verdean stories play a central role in this future? Could a Photography Museum of Cabo Verde become an example of how culture, tourism and heritage can develop together?
Cabo Verde: The Future is therefore more than a photography exhibition. It is an invitation to think, question and collaborate. Gilson Do Rosário Silva believes art should not simply decorate walls; it can bring people together, create dialogue and contribute to meaningful exchange of ideas.
The exhibition opening at the Nieuwe Luxor Theater marks the public launch of the Photography Museum Initiative – Cabo Verde, with a panel talk exploring the possibilities of creating Cabo Verde’s first Photography Museum.
Rather than presenting a finished proposal, the initiative begins with a conversation—bringing together professionals from the cultural sector, architects and the Cabo Verdean diaspora living in Rotterdam.”
A panel talk around the “Photography Museum Initiative – Cabo Verde", will be held at Luxor’s Rijn Foyer on the 17th Of October 2026, as part of this expo’s program.
This panel will be a first step in the introduction of this initiative/vision to the guests and the caboverdian community in Rotterdam. It will be a brainstorm with fellow colleagues, artists, architects and the community in general, about the necessity and the advantages of having a photography museum in Cabo Verde, in a near future. But it aspires to be the first of many panel talks around this vision.
"Every nation deserves an official home for its memories, but until today, Cabo Verde’s visual soul has been scattered across private drawers, family albums and foreign archives. I’m aiming for a change of the status quo. So we can photograph, curate, display and tell our own visual and photographic stories, from our own perspectives. We need a place that is specialized on that. A proper photography museum inside Cabo Verde, is a necessity and a long overdue one.”
- Gilson Do Rosário Silva
This exhibition is part of Luxor Theater’s “Art Wall,” an ongoing exhibition space located on the staircase of the Nieuwe Luxor Theater in Rotterdam. The Art Wall showcases visual and community-focused projects for theatergoers and visitors, regularly featuring local art, storytelling projects, and rotating photography series, such as this photo exhibition “Cabo Verde: The Future.”
The exhibition is free and open to anyone attending a show or visiting the Nieuwe Luxor Theater.