Amadeo Carvalho to show Portraits of Absence at Paris AKAA fair

Amadeo Carvalho’s Portraits of Absence is due to be shown at the AKAA art fair in Paris, France 24 reported on 21 October. Casa Vicência will present the London-based artist’s work at the fair, which Inforpress says is scheduled for 23–25 October at Carreau du Temple. The presentation brings his exploration of Black identity, memory and heritage to a Paris audience.

What Carvalho plans to show at AKAA

Inforpress identified the exhibition as “Fragments d’identité – Circulations lusophones, géographies sensibles”. It said the presentation will include new works from Portraits of Absence, a series dated 2025–2026, with Casa Vicência curating. The detailed exhibition plans were provided in a press release, according to Inforpress.

Volcanic pigments and Lusophone connections

A self-taught contemporary visual artist based in London, Carvalho works across painting, poetry and photography, according to France 24. The broadcaster described Black identity, memory and heritage as central to his art. Inforpress said the AKAA presentation explores memory, identity and connections among Portuguese-speaking communities.

Inforpress reported that Carvalho uses layered surfaces and varied materials, including volcanic pigments collected from the Cape Verdean islands of Fogo, Santiago and São Vicente. It attributed to Carvalho a description of those pigments as central to his process: shaping, pressing and excavating the surfaces forms part of his exploratory approach to painting.

The AKAA presentation is also planned as the first public project of Casa Vicência, a curatorial platform founded in Paris with a focus on contemporary art from Lusophone spaces, Inforpress said. Carvalho’s recent activity includes participation in FNB Art Joburg in South Africa in 2026 and an artistic residency at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, according to the agency.