JORGE BACELAR — RURALIDADES

As part of the F/262 – International Photography Festival, Ruralidades by Portuguese photographer Jorge Bacelar presents a visual exploration of Portugal’s rural landscapes, traditions and communities, celebrating the people whose lives continue to shape the country’s cultural identity.

Rather than being confined to a single venue, Ruralidades unfolds across four exhibition spaces in three different communities within the municipality of Caldas da Rainha. This distributed exhibition transforms the territory itself into part of the curatorial experience, inviting visitors to travel between locations and discover complementary narratives that reveal different perspectives on rural life, memory and belonging.

Through intimate portraits, carefully observed everyday scenes and a deeply human documentary approach, Jorge Bacelar captures the resilience, dignity and continuity of rural communities. His photographs celebrate traditions while reflecting on the social and cultural transformations that continue to shape the Portuguese countryside.

Presented as part of the inaugural edition of F/262, Ruralidades reflects the festival’s commitment to connecting photography with territory, community and cultural heritage. By extending beyond the traditional gallery space, the exhibition encourages visitors to experience the municipality itself as an open-air cultural route, where each venue contributes to a broader narrative about identity, landscape and the relationship between people and place.