The Cultural Work of the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European Atlantic University, UNEATLANTICO) and the Ibero-American University Foundation (FUNIBER), in collaboration with the Universidade Internacional do Cuanza (UNIC), the government of Angola, the government of the province of Bié, the Spanish Embassy in Angola, the transport company AJS, and with the sponsorship of ENSA Seguros de Angola, inaugurated on 5 November the exhibition of engravings «La Conquista del Cosmos» by the artist Salvador Dalí at the Walter Cambodja Art Institute in the municipality of Cuito, province of Bié. The exhibition will be open until 4 December.
The event marked a historic moment for the region, integrating into the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Angola’s independence and reinforcing the commitment of the organizing institutions to promoting culture and art in the country.
The governor of the province of Bié, Dr. Celeste Elavoko David Adolfo, expressed her deep gratitude to all the institutions that have made this international art exhibition possible. He stressed that the arrival of this exhibition represents a milestone in the cultural history of the province and adds to the activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of Angola’s independence. It also reinforced the provincial government’s commitment to support actions that promote cultural enrichment and intellectual development of citizens.
The ceremony was attended by the rector of UNIC, Dr. Carlos Jélvez Martínez, who also represented FUNIBER. In his speech, he made a deep contextualization on the life and work of Salvador Dalí, highlighting the impact of surrealism on modern art and the symbolic value that this exhibition represents for the Angolan people. He also stressed that bringing Dalí to Bié means democratizing access to culture and bringing the academic community and the population in general to universal artistic manifestations of great relevance.
The opening ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Governor for the Political, Social and Economic Sector, Dr. Alcida de Jesus Sandumbo, and the Deputy Governor for the Technical and Infrastructure Sector, Ing. José Fernando Chatuvela.
Prominent personalities from the business and institutional sector were also present, among them the president of the ENSA – Seguros de Angola Advisory Council, engineer Mário Mota Lemos, and the executive director of ENSA, Dr. Matilde Guebe. Both stressed in their interventions the pride of ENSA for sponsoring initiatives that strengthen education, culture and regional development, reinforcing its commitment to social responsibility projects.
Participants also included deans, UNIC professors and students, managers of higher and secondary education institutions, entrepreneurs, bank managers, representatives of civil organizations and various political personalities from the province. The broad participation in the event demonstrated the enthusiasm of Bié society for the initiative and reinforced the importance of promoting access to art and culture as instruments of education, citizenship and national identity.
The exhibition in Bié is held in tribute to the 50 years of independence of Angola, which will be celebrated in 2025, symbolizing the union between history, culture and development. The presence of the works of Salvador Dalí in the heart of the country represents a significant step in the decentralization of major cultural events, bringing them closer to regions that have historically had less access to this type of initiative.
The engraving collection «The Conquest of the Cosmos» consists of eleven dry-pointed engravings, all signed and numbered in pencil. Two sketches and an original poster from the 1974 exhibition are also included. This collection is considered one of the most important works of Salvador Dalí’s career. Each of the works in the series represents a surreal picture of the cosmos, including planets, galaxies and stars, along with other elements from Dalí’s imagination (ants, elephants, soft clocks, etc.).