Lost Causes: Possibilidade

21 November 2025 – 21 February 2026, Casa-Atelier José Marques da Silva (Fundação Marques da Silva), Porto

Curated by João Manuel Miranda and Tiago Antero

Cover of ‘Caderno 1’, dated March 1977.
Álvaro Siza (1933), early sketches for Quinta da Malagueira, Évora, 1977. Pen and ink, 295 × 210 mm. DMC 2503.

Four drawings by Álvaro Siza — three pages from Caderno 1, 3/77 (1977) and one loose drawing (2019) — from the Drawing Matter Collection are featured in the exhibition Lost Causes: Possibilidade at Casa-Atelier José Marques da Silva (Fundação Marques da Silva), Porto, Portugal.

In addition to these works by the Portuguese architect, the exhibition presents more than fifty original materials — sketchbooks, drawings, and models—originating from twelve architectural studios, showcasing the practices of individuals who participated in competitions organised by various public entities in Portugal. Together, they constitute a collection of possibilities.

In the exhibition space, a variety of materials are presented, including sketchbooks and sketch practices by architects whose work is largely shaped through drawing by hand on paper. The works exhibited — the collection ofpossibilities — will not remain static throughout the duration of the show. Some pages of the sketchbooks will be turned, and the (sketch)books themselves will be leafed through and displayed on different spreads. Certain drawings will be changed, moved or even substituted, while others will remain in place. Ultimately, this concept aims to explore parameters for displaying (hand-)drawings, sketchbooks, and sketch practices — that is, materials that (can) capture, or be read as, architectural process. This evolving presentation will continually reshape both the disciplinary and visual content, enriching the exhibition and generating new, dynamic relational readings.

The exhibition was curated by João Manuel Miranda and Tiago Antero – being one outcome of research undertaken as part of the Lost Causes project, which aims to foster critical reflection on unbuilt projects and on architectural competitions from multiple perspectives.

Read more about the exhibition here.