iMAC/CCB – Museum of Contemporary Art and Architecture CentreBelém
Neïl Beloufa
French-Algerian artist Neïl Beloufa builds a route where visitors interact with objects and play through chapters of a live computer game.
More in Lisbon
Preview: written before the show opened
In 2015, a US poll asked whether America should bomb Agrabah, and about a third of those asked said yes. Agrabah is the city in Aladdin. Neïl Beloufa built Algospeak, an immersive environment, out of that answer: it is about how easily a fiction starts to feel like a fact.
This is the Franco-Algerian artist's first show in Portugal, and it comes in two parts on Floor -1. The second, Portrait Shop, is made by Ebb.Global, the technology and design studio Beloufa founded. You walk into it as you would an algorithmic amusement park, built on video-game looks and the tricks the entertainment industry uses to hold your attention.
Both parts are spaces you enter rather than works on a wall. Entry is on the €15 museum ticket, and residents of Portugal get in free on Sundays until 2pm. The opening on 2 December at 7pm is free, after a 6pm talk in the auditorium with Beloufa and curator Marta Mestre.
Editor's pick
A 2015 poll found about a third of Americans backed bombing Agrabah, the city in Aladdin. Neïl Beloufa built a walk-in environment on that answer, plus a video-game amusement park by his studio. MAC/CCB's director pitches it at young people.
Look for
Algospeak
Look for an immersive environment built on the 2015 poll in which Americans backed bombing Agrabah, the fictional city from Aladdin.
Portrait Shop
Ebb.Global's walk-in algorithmic amusement park, styled on video games and the attention-grabbing devices of the entertainment industry.
Good for
- Rainy Days
- Teenagers
With kids
Under-6s get in free and ages 7 to 18 get 20% off. MAC/CCB's director has said Beloufa's video-game-style work is meant to reach young people.
Also at MAC/CCB – Museum of Contemporary Art and Architecture Centre
On now nearby
iLife is the Game – An immersive experience by Paulo Furtado
MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology
iPedro Cabrita Reis – “without sorrow of heart”
MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology
iExhibiting, Publishing: MAAT in Print (2016–2026)
MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology
Nearby
Image credits
9
- Neïl BeloufaAgostino Osio
- Life is the Game – An immersive experience by Paulo FurtadoMAAT, 2026
- Pedro Cabrita Reis – “without sorrow of heart”Photo: João Ferrand, courtesy of the artist
- Exhibiting, Publishing: MAAT in Print (2016–2026)Photograph: Fábio Cunha, courtesy of EDP Foundation
- MAC/CCB – Museum of Contemporary Art and Architecture CentreHerbert wie, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Museu Nacional de ArqueologiaJose Luis Filpo Cabana, CC BY 3.0
- Museu de MarinhaNan Palmero, CC BY 2.0
- Museu Nacional dos CochesBosc d'Anjou / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
- MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and TechnologyStefan Bethke / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0