In Lisbon, at the MAAT — Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology — the Gallery Exclusive Session brought together architecture’s most discerning voices for the prelude to SIZA, the highly anticipated documentary on the life and work of Álvaro Siza Vieira.
Presented by OTIIMA, this private gathering honored one of Portugal’s most influential architects through an evening that intertwined cinema, culture, and innovation.
Among the distinguished guests were Martha Thorne, Director of Institutional Relations and Curation at Gallery and former Executive Director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize; Dr. Pedro Siza, the architect’s nephew; João Simões, CEO of OTIIMA; Diogo Moura, Councillor for Economy and Innovation at the Lisbon City Council; João Pedro Xavier, Director of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Porto; and Cláudia Antunes, representative of the Portuguese Order of Architects.
© Gallery Institute
Architecture and Memory
The MAAT Central building, a symbolic bridge between the historic Tejo Power Station and contemporary architecture, served as the perfect setting for this reflection on legacy and creation.
Directed by Augusto Custodio and produced by Gallery, SIZA offers an emotional journey through nine decades of Álvaro Siza Vieira’s life and creative process. The film has been selected for 24 international film festivals, placing it among the most acclaimed contemporary architectural documentaries.
Through its aesthetic precision and poetic rhythm, SIZA captures what few films can: the emotional dimension of architecture — its power to evoke memory, shape thought, and endure beyond time.
© Gallery Institute
Preserving Legacy Through Image
SIZA is a living archive. It gathers rare images and personal testimonies, transforming the architect’s body of work into a narrative of modern architecture itself.
It reaffirms the mission to create a permanent dialogue between memory and modernity, where history gains new presence through the moving image.
Explore the highlights of the event through our gallery:
