“Bandeira de Kitembo: Winds from the Darkness" responds to the Lisbon Architecture Triennale 2025 theme, "How Heavy is a City?", by exploring the cultural weight of cities shaped by the African diaspora. Inspired by Kitembo, the Bantu symbol of time and cycles, it reimagines migration and resistance as transformative forces. Linking Rio, Lisbon, Chicago, and Luanda, the installation uses architecture as a political and symbolic tool, advocating for decolonial, regenerative, and inclusive practices to address the social and environmental challenges of contemporary cities.
Caio Bruno Carvalho and Alex Gabriel Lemos
Caio Bruno Carvalho, born on November 7, 1987, is a Brazilian architect graduated from FAU/UFRJ, with a Master's degree in Preservation and Cultural Heritage Management from Casa de Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz. He is a co-founder of CAJOO Studio. Known for his research on Afro- Brazilian heritage, he works on projects across various fields, including architecture, scenography, and arts infrastructure. Recently, he contributed to the Festival Feira Preta and the renovation of the Achados do Valongo exhibition.
Alex Gabriel Lemos is a 35-year-old Brazilian multidisciplinary artist. As a production designer and set designer, he oversaw the art direction of Regra 34, awarded Best Film at the Locarno Festival 2023. His work traverses carnival, candomblé, and urban culture, using materials rich in memory—fabrics, wood, metal, and light— to craft settings that bridge materiality with decolonial and poetic narratives.