Lisbon: art highlights the importance of water and the ocean

Our embassy in Lisbon found the ideal ally in the Belgian artist Griet Baeyens (Gigi) when mounting an exhibition of colourful tapestries on the subject of water and peace as well as an educational installation to teach children about water. This is one of the ways we are demonstrating that Belgium is a worthy candidate for the Secretariat of the BBNJ Agreement, which ensures far-reaching protection for marine life in the high seas.

Portugal has always been firmly oriented towards the ocean, and water – or drought – is also a topic of major importance there. That is why our embassy in Lisbon – the capital of Portugal – thought it would be interesting to explore that particular theme.

BBNJ Secretariat

The ocean is also a major consideration for Belgium too. More than that, we aspire to host the secretariat of the BBNJ Agreement, which ensures far-reaching protection of marine life in the high seas, in Brussels.

That decision will be made at the treaty's first COP – the conference of the parties to the treaty – later this year. Chile and China are also competing to host the secretariat, and Portugal has yet to decide which candidacy it will support. By providing an engaging exhibition and a learning activity for children, our embassy aims to illustrate our commitment to the topic of the ocean.

Plastic soup

To create the exhibition, our colleagues in Lisbon found the ideal ally in the Belgian artist Griet Baeyens, better known as Gigi. “Themes such as sustainability, respect for nature, endangered species, the circular economy, and people and society are my passion and my mission,” she says on her website. “From an early age, I was concerned about the world's problems.”

In Lisbon, the artist Gigi provided material for two events. On the one hand, she designed colourful tapestries calling for peace, clean air, and animal welfare and drawing attention to the plastic soup in the oceans and the lukewarm behaviour of politicians. The same exhibition was previously presented at the Venice Biennale in 2024.

The (natural) wool for these hand-tufted tapestries consists of masses of collected remainders. “The beautiful, intense colours illustrate the beauty of the planet, but at the same time, they show its fragility and the effects of climate change,” the artist explains.

Water and Peace was on display for about two months at the famous Hotel Verride in Lisbon (27 January to 27 March) and will be exhibited at the ambassador's residence in May. The previews attracted a very diverse audience, from art lovers, local politicians, and policymakers to other ambassadors and Gigi herself was also present when the exhibition opened at the Hotel Verride.

Pavilion of Knowledge

The second part of the event will take place at the Pavilion of Knowledge (Pavilhão do Conhecimento), also in Lisbon. As an interactive museum, it is very popular with children and schools because it allows them to discover ‘living science’ in an active, playful, and relaxing way. In that regard, it's rather like Technopolis back home in Belgium.

With help from our embassy, a learning exhibit on climate and water entitled Moving Water on Tour was installed in the pavilion. For the installation, Gigi provided no fewer than 96 pieces of art that teach us how important water is to life on our planet. Through play and stories, children can discover what is going on and what we should and shouldn't do to keep the planet – and its water – healthy.

Here too, the preview – attended by Gigi – on World Water Day on 22 March, attracted a diverse crowd. After being exhibited in the Pavilion of Knowledge, Moving Water on Tour will travel around Portugal and will also be travelling to the islands of Madeira and the Azores.

With both events, our embassy is clearly contributing towards greater awareness of crucial issues affecting water and our oceans. At the same time, it is illustrating our country's deep commitment to water and the ocean, while emphasising that our country is a worthy candidate to host the Secretariat of the BBNJ Agreement.